Coming Back as We Are
by NanabaBanana
Summary: She was there when they recruited him. She was there before the fall. She was there when his squad fell. He wasn't the one to believe in foolish words that couldn't be kept, but he found himself wanting to hold onto hope. Follow Aria Richter, a member of Mike's Squad, as she learns what it means to be a soldier in the Survey Corps with a little support from a certain Ackerman.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** The Shingeki no Kyojin universe, characters, and plot belong to Hajime Isayama. I only own the Richter siblings and their backstory.

I've had always had snippets of this story conjured up, but this is the first time I'm putting something cohesive together. Please go easy on me!

Also, I read the AOT manga a while back and always perceived Nanaba as a male, so I'm going to go with that here. I know "he's" been identified as a female, but bear with me here!

* * *

They never intended to join the Survey Corps, or the military at all, as a matter of fact.

The Richter family started out in a large town in the Karanese District, sandwiched between Walls Rose and Maria. Older brother, Kaud, and younger sister, Aria, were the children of their father's first wife. Nadia, their younger sister, came after the second marriage. Aria refused to accept the new woman in their lives and resorted to calling her Selena or Miss Selena if she was in a particularly good mood. The feeling was mutual on both ends.

Klaud and Aria were left to their own devices when Josen Richter went to work. They hardly got to see him, and the times he was home, Josen spent them with Selena and Nadia- his new family. At first, Klaud tried to keep them all together. He tried to chime in on their conversations at dinner and even tried calling that lady "mom". Aria's stubborn, nine-year-old self-refused to give in.

Fortunately, his grandeur plan of creating a happy, cohesive family unit never bloomed to fruition. Once Klaud saw how pushy Selena was with Aria, he started to take her out for long stretches of the day. They started hanging around the town square where no one bothered them. She could get lost in the sweet smell of bread and the welcoming low hum of chattering that always permeated the marketplace, but when the sun went down, they had to go back.

"Aria, come on. We should get going now." Klaud beckoned her over apologetically.

"But I dun wanna." Aria gripped her blouse tightly and pouted. The sun was beginning to set, signaling their inevitable departure. The dark orange rays of the descending star made her hair look ablaze in the light. Her brother was blessed with their father's rich, chocolate locks, while Aria had inherited their mother's auburn locks. Both had waves that fell down in messy tresses.

"It's 'don't' and 'want to' and you know we have to, so don't make this any harder than it already is," he gently chided.

"Can't we jus' go back to Ol' Man Elijah's?" She looked up and gave her best puppy dog eyes.

Elijah was an old man, but more importantly, he was the town's healer who took them under his wing as an odd mixture of a surrogate grandfather and neighborhood friend. Roots and herbs of all kinds were kept in glass jars, which adorned the majority of flat surface available. Every weed, fern, and flower had a particular use-whether it was to be used as a remedy or poison. Name it and Elijah had it. Unfortunately, that made him the town's local satanist.

The Richter siblings never shied away from the man and his work despite their father's warnings. Instead, they would watch him meticulously drain each drop from the bulb of a zotylin plant for the woman who asked him to cure her baby with breathing problems and help him paste mashed up roots onto a teenage boy's forehead to lower his lethal fever. In their eyes, Eli was an honest man who presented only what was truthful and dedicated his all to his customer's best wishes.

He was also a masterful storyteller who relished how open and eager the kids were. He would teach them parts of his trade such as how to identify easy herbs and how to make simple salves to remedy common ailments. He even took them on walks through the fields to collect and take notes on the plants they come across.

Elijah traveled far and wide before settling in Karanese and always had stories to tell, which Klaud and Aria would often listen to in absolute rapture. He's been around Trost, Shiganshina, and even Hermina, but had never set foot in Sina. He had concocted this crazy plan to start a caravan where healers like himself could teach others of their trade, exchange information with other botanists, and safely sell their plants to those in need. Eli hoped that would be his golden ticket to Sina. There was never a boring moment in the time spent with Elijah and he, in turn, also seemed to enjoy the kids' company. Especially now that his late wife had passed away, he found himself feeling he needed the Richters more than they needed him.

How they met though, was quite the ordeal.

 _The diplomat's son, her arch nemesis or more like the village idiot, was always strutting around town decked out in expensive fabrics and boasting about his father's job in the inner wall._

" _No one gives a rat's ass about what your ol' pops has to say, Davies!" She hollered as loud as she could muster. She was trying to fix the laces of her boots when Aria was suddenly pitched forward and found herself in a puddle of murky, sewer water. Dirt splattered across her baby blue dress. Aria looked up to find Davies chortling and pointing his pudgy little sausage finger in her face._

" _My dad said that your mom ran away from your good-for-nothing dad and now you and your stinkin' brother are hangin' around that devil worshipper all the time." He grabbed a pigtail and lugged her back with a beefy arm. "You better not put a curse on my family or try anything funny or I'll tell my dad, punk."_

 _Aria sunk her teeth into his offending appendage and socked him straight in the gullet. He dropped like a sack of rocks and doubled over clutching his throat heaving and crying._

 _That's how Klaud walked in on them. He looked at Davies, then his sister, then back to Davies and opened his mouth to surely give her an earful when an older man stepped into the alley. He had close-cut, black hair with heavy graying at the temples and sported a clean, thin beard that resembled salt and pepper. Except a lot more salt than pepper._

 _He took one look at Davies still blubbering at his feet. "I saw everything. Don't worry son, I'll take care of this," he said, patting the meatball looking turd on the head._

 _Klaud pinched Aria's arm and gave her the stink eye as he walked past her to follow the adult. Aria thought she was going to seriously get it later on. They warily followed several paces behind until the man turned and walked up the steps of a red-stoned row house. Fumbling in his pockets for the keys, Aria looked up and read the wooden board hanging next to the second story window. The sun hit the sign at an angle where the golden letters seemed to glow. It read: Elijah's Medicinal Cures and Remedies._

 _An abrupt clang startled her. She turned back to the man to see his keys on the floor and him, crouching with one hand over his stomach and the other covering his mouth trying to cover the rising volume of laughter. He burst into a hearty fit of chuckles._

" _Whoo-whee, girly. Where did you learn to speak with a mouth like that!" He pointed at her. The man grinned and extended his hands to both her stunned and confused brother and Aria._

" _Elijah Thendel, nice to meetcha!"_

 _She blinked, grasped his weathered hands in her own and giggled. "You're a weird old man! I like you!"_

" _Aria!" Klaud elbowed her and knocked her on the side of her head._

 _The man laughed and winked at Aria. Brimming with glee at his approval, she looked up to gauge Klaud's reaction. The bugger was trying to ignore her. Aria counted to three in her head. As expected, he let slip a tiny smirk and glanced back down at her whilst proceeding to wreak havoc on her unruly hair._

By the time they arrived at their cottage, the sun had long disappeared behind Wall Maria. Nobody seemed awake, so the siblings walked in as quietly as they could. A single candle was lit on the dining table and leftover food was covered by a cloth. Aria was halfway through a bowl of chicken soup when Klaud let out a noise of surprise. Their father stepped from the shadows and pulled out a chair to sit across them. The chair's drawn-out groan did nothing but accentuate the awkward air that seemed to have suddenly appeared.

"How was your day today? Klaud? Aria? " He asked lowly. It was almost as if he was pleading. Maybe he was doing this to start making an effort to get to know his children again or maybe it was because he was upset that they came home so late. Klaud and Aria exchanged trepid glances. Feeling antsy, Aria looked down and started pulling at the loose seams of her blouse.

"Why are you doing that? Stop that. Don't you know that costs money?" he barked.

Aria snatched her hand back in alarm. "S-sorry," she whispered.

She hated feeling like that-like she had done something to personally offend her father. She tries her best to be a good daughter but with her personality, it never seemed to go the way she intends it to and it doesn't help that the neighbors are always gossiping about the pair of them. She felt the only way to redeem herself in her father's eyes was to stay out of his new family's way so that he didn't have to remember the painful memories with their mom. Aria knew he avoided her in particular because of her auburn tresses which so closely resembled her late mom.

"Don't look at me like that. WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?" Josen bellowed.

Aria flinched and turned to see Klaud's eyes narrow more. He slowly reached out to grab her hand.

"Ungrateful brats," their father spat. "Why are you like this? What did I ever do to you? Where did I go wrong? All Selena and I have done, from the beginning, was try to love you but others have been telling me how nasty you have been to your m-"

"She's not our mother!" Aria burst out. "What happened to _you_? It's like you're not even our dad anymore!"

His eyes widened in rage and gritted his teeth. He had been like this after mom ran away from him. On and off, present and absent, subdued and unhinged. He became volatile and sunk into a grieving stupor by letting life drag him by his feet. There was never a gradual incline to set him off. It just happened. They tried to help but he refused, arguing that it was his job to care for them. Then in came Selena, swooping in like an angel and cutting him free. With Nadia and Selena around, he avoided them like the plague.

Klaud abruptly stood up, sent father a glare, muttered his thanks for dinner, and began to lead Aria to their shared bedroom in hopes of preventing the argument before it started. They were stopped by Selena at stairs.

"Are you children making things harder for your poor father again?" she hissed. "I warned you-"

"You should have never been born," Josen quietly interrupted from the dinner table.

Aria's heart dropped when what he said had registered. She knew or thought she did, that he did not truly blame her for mom's untimely exit in their lives. They always fought about her, but Aria never really understood. She only heard her name being thrown around a lot and snippets of their mother voicing her distrust for her father. Klaud made sure to always remind Aria that it was in no way her fault, but deep inside, she never forgave herself for putting a wedge in between her parents.

"What was that you said, honey?" Selena none-too-gently shoved the two out of the way and kneeled beside their father with an arm around his hunched shoulders. Suddenly he looked so haggard-as if he finally released what he was holding in for a very long time and as a result, deflated in defeat. Aria could only stare, wide-eyed and frozen at what just came out of her own father's mouth.

"You should have never been born, Aria. It was all your fault." He looked her right in the eye.

She started to feel short of breath, and the sudden stabbing pain in her chest wasn't helping.

"It's okay now, darling. You have me...and Nadia." Selena brought him into her embrace, "We'll always be here." She touched his heart and finished, "With you."

Aria's heart was still hammering away. Tears welled up in her eyes. Aria couldn't hear anything Klaud was trying to say from beside her. All she knew was that he suddenly ripped away from Aria's tightening grip and advanced, screaming at their father. She had never seen Klaud lose it like that. Josen didn't spare Aria a glance, even after Klaud took him by the collar and roared things she couldn't hear into his face.

"Klaud…" Aria reached out to get his attention. Selena grabbed his shoulder to try and get his hands off their father. When Klaud didn't budge or quiet down she resorted to yanking him back by a fistful of his hair.

"Stop it!" Aria shrieked, snapping out of it, and raced forward to pry Selena's grip off of a struggling and kicking Klaud.

A fist came swinging and collided with Klaud's cheek. Aria gasped. Before anyone could move, another first came and caught him in the lower jaw. Klaud landed on the floor with a heavy thud. Josen clenched his fists and gripped the table with his other, panting in exertion. The house was completely silent except for the crying coming from Nadia's room that they could finally hear now that the commotion had died down.

Selena stiffened and rushed to her daughter's room. Aria's head was trying to process the onslaught of things at once. They couldn't stay here anymore. They needed somewhere to go. To get away from here. Anywhere. Now.

Quickly helping Klaud to his feet, Aria helped him stagger up the stairs the best she could and then started frantically throwing clothes into a bag. Klaud slumped down on his bed sighing. He listened to her half-cry, half ramble on about what to take and where to go.

"We should join the military."

That didn't make any sense to her. She thought Klaud might have been hit too hard. Aria ignored him and fussing around the room. When he got tired of watching her panic, he yanked her down to sit next to him.

"Listen to me for a second, will you?" He asked, sounding irritated and amused at the same time. "We need a place to go right?"

Aria hesitated and then nodded.

"It's perfect!" Klaud laughed. "They'll take care of us. We'll have food, clothes, a place to stay, and we'll even get strong. That's a bonus." He grabbed her scrawny arms and dangled it in the air. She tucked them back in and crossed them, throwing him an uneasy glare. Aria also didn't want him to notice how her hands were still trembling.

"But," She started, still skeptical of his plan, "What if you make it and I don't? What if it's super dangerous? We can die early. Why would we want to do that? Oh, I don't know, Klaud...we have to think about it more." It sounded too good to be true. They were banking on too many factors that couldn't be accounting for this early on but it was hard to refuse when he sounded so sure.

"I don't want to see you look like that again, okay?" Klaud tousled her bangs off of her forehead. "It's not and never was your fault. He doesn't know what he's talking about. But this can be a fresh start."

Aria could tell he was lying but nodded nonetheless. She scrunched up her face, thinking hard. They had nothing else to lose. She got a good look at his face for the first time after what happened downstairs. His cheek and eye were already beginning to swell. She thought that next time around she'd be the one to protect Klaud.

"Where you're going, I am. Let's do it, but we gotta save up. Can we stay with ol' man Eli until then?"

"If he lets us," Klaud said, smiling. "Good. It's settled. We'll be fine...I'm not saying we join the survey corps or anything like that." Klaud rolled his eyes. "We're not stupid. I've heard being a Garrison is quite uneventful or if you're fed up with the macho life, we can leave after boot camp and try settling ourselves. Help gramps collect herbs and all."

We took our pledge to the Survey Corps three later.

* * *

Bootcamp, Aria: 17, Klaud: 19

* * *

"Survey Corps? But Nanaba, you'll probably be in the top ten. You can don a green cape with the pretty unicorn insignia on the back. It's a passage of rite that you earned!" Aria had her head placed on her hands and leaned into the platinum blond-haired male, squinting. "So, why?"

The said male looked at her in the corner of his eyes and huffed in slight annoyance. Collecting himself, he settled with not commenting.

"That's his choice, so stop being so damn nosy and eat your food." Rico Brzenska gave Aria her two cents and a side glare.

"What branch are you thinking about joining, Rico?" Aria leaned towards her silver-eyed friend and asked, "Survey Corps as well?"

"She's going for Garrison," Klaud added, grinning as Rico shot him a dirty look. He didn't have a penchant for keeping things to himself.

"Whaat? Garrison?" Aria turned back to Nanaba. "How wil-mmph!"

She was cut off as Nanaba shoved a potato in her mouth to shut her up. Klaud chuckled. Only Aria could get a rise out of Nanaba like that. He's usually quite stoic and composed, spoke only when spoken to. Despite how they were now, the two hadn't kicked it off right off the bat. She had initially thought he was a stickler, being so serious all the time, and he thought she was annoying, being so persistent all the time.

At first, she innocently inquired about his heritage behind his impossibly blue eyes and unique pale hair. The conversation was dead before it even started. After losing multiple times to him in hand-to-hand combat and seeing his apparent rise in skill with the maneuver gear, she asked him to help her train. Of course, Nanaba refused, writing her off as someone who wouldn't put in the effort herself. It was a while before they fought again. He took note of her progress and let curiosity get the best of him.

 _Both of them were out of breath, one sweating more profusely than the other. Aria remained splayed on her back, on the dirt._

" _Ha! -pant- how did you -wheeze- think of -pause- that. I don't need -cough- you!"_

 _Nanaba peered over her, unphased. "You can correct your form when blocking so that your body takes the brunt of the blow, your thumb shouldn't be tucked into your fist unless you want to break a finger, your knees should be angled more parallel to the ground when kicking lower."_

" _Fu-"_

" _Good job."_

" _Oh." Aria paused in surprise. "Thanks!"_

" _You were saying something before?"_

" _F-Fun day. Today's match was fun." Aria grimaced at her obvious lie._

 _He looked away so that she couldn't see a tiny smile that betrayed his mouth, but she caught it._

" _Hey! So you can smile," she pointed out, feeling pleased with herself. "No wonder you don't do it often, Nanaba, you look constipated."_

 _He started to walk away, leaving her on the ground. "I guess you don't want to work on your form after dinner."_

 _Aria scrambled to her feet, jogging after him. "Wait! I would like that!"_

" _I thought you said you didn't need me, though."_

" _What! When did I say that?"_

"Oi, Klaud, you're staring at Rico again," Aria smirked. Snapping out of his reverie, Klaud's head snapped towards his sister, cheeks tinted rose. The said woman threw Klaud another long side-glare and proceeded to ignore the Richter siblings.

Rico Brzenska never had many friends. Her mindset consisted of getting into the military, doing what she had to do, and joining the Garrisons to help those who couldn't help themselves. All that and she never imagined calculated in friendship. It was a foreign experience. Friends were troublesome and had the ability to deviate one's mind from their initial goals. It didn't help that she bunked with the rambunctious younger Richter sibling, nor did it help that she was beginning to harbor something a little more than camaraderie with the older Richter sibling. She did not want to acknowledge such annoyances and didn't have a label for it, so she tried her best to ignore it, but he wasn't making it easier for her.

She peeked a glance over to Klaud. He was looking out the window with the sun casting shadows along the grooves of his face. For a second, he looked more handsome and relaxed, as opposed to the boyish grins both Richters seemed to have inherited.

Klaud squinted at the light and turned his head over to her. "What? Do I have food on my face?"

She sighed and looked back to her food. Scratch that thought. Something had to seriously be wrong with her.

They had come all come a long way from the first days of training. They were all on the brink of parting ways and choosing the branches of the military they wanted to serve. Unfortunately, this left Rico with a slightly heavy heart, but in the end, she didn't come here to make friends. That wasn't included in her goals and ambitions. She felt ready to move onto a new chapter with the Garrison forces-a place where there were no crazy Richter siblings or angelic mute men whose name rhymes with 'banana'.

* * *

She sat with her legs dangling over the edge facing beyond the wall. The day was just beginning, which meant she had approximately twenty-four hours to make her decision. A faint whirring of the maneuver gear could be heard before someone landed beside her.

"You can get in trouble if they found you here, you know." Contrary to his usually smooth voice, this morning, it held a slight rumble as if he just woke up.

"So can you," said Aria, smiling briefly.

Nanaba could tell it was troubling her greatly. Chewed up lips served as evidence of her turmoil. "Did you talk to him about it?" he asked.

Aria shook her head. "I don't think he'd understand. I told you why we're here in the first place, but now..." She thought about the choice she'd have to make the next day. "I don't know. I want to fight. I want to serve and be a part of something bigger. It's not going to be easy, but it's the best choice I've had in a while."

"I think," Nanaba paused, "You should do what you know you want to do. Whether your brother decides to back out completely and live behind Maria with your grandfather or follow Brzenska into Garrison, it doesn't concern you."

She opened her mouth to argue.

"He's your brother, yes, but it's your life. We only get to do this once. Make your decision now, cause this is it," Nanaba finished. The sun broke the clouds above and was quickly rising up its track towards morning.

"You know what's funny?" Aria chuckled. "Rico said the same thing."

"I don't get how that's funny."

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

"You want to join the Survey Corps?!" His voice echoed in the canteen. He slammed his tray down, sloshing soup everywhere.

"Yes," Aria nonchalantly replied. "And it would be great if you can sit down without acting like some titan and discuss this like the adults we are."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you." Klaud scoffed. "There's nothing to discuss. We had an agreement from the beginning. Anything but the legion."

Rico and Nanaba, who knew of their initial plans, ate quietly next to the siblings. They knew it was something the siblings had to hash it out on their own, despite their differences.

"I know it sounds crazy and even stupid, but I want to go beyond the walls. Think about the bigger picture. Why are we settling with just living behi-"

"It's all bullshit. They aren't any closer to figuring out what the titans are than when the damn faction was formed. If we go out there, we'll probably die, and they still won't be any closer to the truth." Klaud cut Aria off. "You're too young to be knowing what's best for you. Where is this even coming from?"

Nanaba couldn't help but throw Klaud a sharp look to watch his mouth.

"I've been trying to tell you for a while now, but you never listen!" Aria stood up. "I talked to Erwin the other d-"

"Erwin? The second in command to Commander Shadis? When did you even meet him?" Klaud asked incredulously.

"The Survey Corps came the other night. They weren't aware of the training excursion that half of the camp, including you, had to attend. They're the section who were in need of the most recruits, so they came to scope out us trainees in hope of persuading them to join," Rico added, hoping to clear any confusion.

"They're the only ones doing something about the titans. He said that if we don't fight, we can't win," Aria continued, "I think it would be worth laying my life on the line for that cause."

"What 'worth' is there to a useless death?" Klaud stood up and walked away.

* * *

The trainees assembled onto the instruction grounds after breakfast. Anticipation and excitement were abuzz in the air. After the grueling time spent in boot camp, the time has come for all those who have persevered the seasonal drop-outs and temptation to resignation, to graduate. Nanaba had been ranked first place, Rico third, Klaud fourth, and Aria sixth.

They began with those who wanted to join the Military Police first. The rest of the six ranked in the top ten best had filed out together. Aria gulped in anticipation and stayed rooted in her place.

Next was the Survey Corps. This time, the commander's instructions were to leave if you wished to join the Garrison faction. Cadets left by the hordes, one of them being Rico. Aria wasn't surprised to see her turn away without as much as a final glance back. From ahead, she caught squad leader Erwin's eye. As she expected, his face was blank, revealing no emotions. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw, Erwin shifted his gaze elsewhere. In her peripheral, Klaud turned around.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: AOT universe belongs to Hajime Isayama and I only own the Richter Siblings.**

* * *

Aria never thought that she'd come this far only to separate from her own brother. Just standing there was suffocating and the silence itself seemed deafening. Around thirty cadets were left standing. Commander Shadis stepped forward and congratulated them all. They stood at attention, fist at their hearts, and pledged ourselves to the Survey Corps and to humanity.

Aria turned in dread, ready to see the space where Klaud stood not minutes ago. Klaud remained standing at her side, chin raised. She suddenly remembered how to breathe. Unsure how to feel, Aria waited until they received their customary green cloaks and new military jackets with the wings of freedom before speaking to him. There was now this immense pressure to prove him wrong-that this was worth it but somehow she felt like both their lives were now on her shoulders.

Embarrassingly, she never had a drive or a reason to improve herself. She had some skills, seeing that she graduated amongst the top ten, still, that didn't make her chances of survival any higher. She wanted so much to prove to him that this was the right choice. At the same time, Aria didn't want to be the sole reason why he stayed. He looked expectantly at her approach.

"You shouldn't have stayed if you didn't want to. I better not be the reason why you stayed," said Aria defensively. She felt at fault for dragging him into this but _this_ was what she wanted.

"Don't be so arrogant. Not everything's about you," Klaud snorted. "What kind of person would I be if I sat my ass on the wall waiting to open the gates every time my baby sister came back from fighting the titans. I'll never live it down." Aria still looked uncertain and unconvinced. "Plus, who else would be there to save your reckless ass ?" He nudged her with his shoulder.

She gave a hesitant laugh, "Nanaba?"

"Oi, you take that back!" He watched Aria laugh more full heartedly in ease. Klaud knew Aria was suspicious of his intent for quite some time now. Yes, he did initially stay out of obligation towards her, but he wouldn't have it any other way. There was no doubt that she would have done the same for him.

It was after a particularly gruesome expedition that started out as a simple observation run that they experience their first bump in their military career. Little did they know, it was going to be only one out of the many to come.

Squad leader Hanji had cleared some paperwork and finally received an affirmative for her and Shadis to take a short trip beyond the walls to hopefully run her experiments and gain some insight on the humanoid beasts but with the condition that squad leaders Mike and Erwin came to supervise. Newer recruits were to tag along as to gain more exposure in a less intense setting. Squad leader Hanji's experiments were fairly simple and could be done in a way that she could observe from a distance. In the end, they came back with eight dead, six injured, and three drop-outs.

"Did you see that?" Hanji squealed in glee to her subordinate who was scribbling furiously on a notepad. "Write down everything, Mobilt!"

The titan was short and not as grotesque looking as some others that they have come across on the way here. It had thinning, pale hair the color of straw that fell unevenly across its forehead and arms that were too long for its body. The male titan sat in a huddled position with its mouth agape, staring at the treeline above, paying them no attention.

"I-I don't think it's smart to try and provoke it, squad leader!"

Hanji paid Mobilt no head and attached the hooks of her gear to the trunk directly above the aberrant. "What's gotten so much of your attention that you're ignoring me, cutie?" the scientist asked sweetly. She slowly descended until she was an arm's length away. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to ignore guests? Oh, wait. You guys can't reproduce, therefore, you can't have a mother!" Hanji laughed feverishly at her own joke. "Say…where do you guys come from then?"

The rest of the recruits carefully surrounded the still dazed titan a safe distance away. Its beady eyes shifted to squad leader Erwin, who stationed himself on the same trunk as Hanji. His hands rested gently on the hilt of his blades. Klaud breathed as soft as he could in fear of startling the beast with any additional sounds or movements. This wasn't according to the plan Hanji proposed to the higher-ups at all, but if all runs smoothly, they'd be able to snag their first titan for experimentation. Then no one would care what rules they broke.

Erwin started to give the signal for the scouts holding the ropes to throw it down on the titan. As if it realized what was about to happen, its head suddenly snapped left so fast that it might as well broken its own neck. It sprang up and started running, its feet having conjured a mind of its own, took it westbound.

"No, you're not getting away from me!" Hanji objected, quickly swinging down onto her waiting horse to pursue the titan.

"Should we follow it?" Squad leader Mike asked Erwin. The man nodded and ordered the scouts to reassemble.

"Did you notice? They don't give any signs of recognition when it comes to our language, but why did it look like it was responding to a call from elsewhere?" Erwin surmised curiously.

Turns out, it was invited to some gathering of titans, which were assumed to all be aberrants. Otherwise, why else would titans just gather as if on command? There were no humans around for them to round up and feast upon, so the question was left standing. They were riding up a steep hill and as they broke its peak, a small horde of titans from below turned to greet them. The three squads plus a handful of recruits were forced to engage combat. The flat terrain and sparseness of trees made it difficult to utilize the maneuver gear.

"Soldiers ready!" Commander Shadis halted his horse and pointed at the ascending mob. "Right flank engage first!"

Aria supposed it was supposed to be a systematic tactic to approach the titans wave by wave, giving the soldiers in the rear to provide backup. It ended up slowly backing them up and leaving them overwhelmed. It wasn't as much as a bloodbath as it was an unnecessary punch in the side that made you lose the wind and wonder why you didn't see the hit come earlier. They were lucky as many veteran scouts as there were, came on this trip. Otherwise, it very well might have been a total bloodbath.

Aria dug her blade as deep as she could into the eye socket of a lanky, female titan. Its arms swung up to try and swat her. Nanaba sliced cleanly through its fingers before hooking onto its shoulder and effectively disconnecting the tissues connecting to the arm there. Aria hooked firmly onto its nape and went in for the kill. Blood splattered against the side of her face and neck and evaporated almost instantly.

Klaud finished another before ascending to a tree nearby. He was already panting from exertion, hands throbbing from all the chafing from the gear and swiveling motion. He coughed and shifted his shirt upward to cover his airways. The steam was so thick and hot that it burned his throat and nose with every intake of breath.

Above the noise of blades and garbled roars rose Shadis' command to retreat. Klaud retracted his blades and headed down to snag a horse that was running amok the chaos. Steering the steed, he made his way over to where he last saw Aria. She was crouched beside a dissipating titan, shoulders deep in its mouth, trying to fish out a half-crushed cadet. She grunted in frustration as her hands kept slipping from the bloodied body, which was preventing her from getting a firmer grasp. Klaud recognized the female to be one from their training division.

"Klaud! Help me, I can't get her out." She continued to struggle with the already limp body. He hoisted her up with one arm and called a horse over wordlessly. Aria let out a noise of indignation and attempted to shake off his grip.

"But her body, we can't jus-"

"The only thing we need to do right now is to head back as soon as possible. We have no means of bringing the bodies back and we're sitting ducks out here." He looked around sadly. "We already lost enough as is."

It was when they safely returned back behind the walls, that Klaud overheard Erwin's short exchange with Aria. The senior squad leader was making routine evening rounds. Whether it was to confirm the death toll or to simply check up on the recruits, Klaud didn't know.

"Do you regret it?" The blonde squad leader asked the auburnette. There was a pause as if she was trying to process why he was here, why he was asking that, and his question at the same time. Aria stood up and saluted.

"Regret what, sir?" She carefully asked.

"Joining," The man pressed.

"No." Aria continued to cover the body of a male who didn't make it through the ride back. "I didn't fully know what I was getting myself into, if that's what you're asking, sir, and I don't believe I've been here long enough to confirm if my experiences so far have been worth anything, but I don't believe I made the wrong choice." She looked back up at him, searching his face for hints of what he was thinking himself. "I do hope that in the future the answer will come to me, sir."

Erwin simply nodded and turned to make his exit.

"Thank you," She said to his retreating back. Even if reassurance was not his reason for visiting, it felt good to know the newer recruits were in their thoughts as well. "Sir," She hastily added when he paused.

Without so much of a nod or an indication that he had heard her, he told her to get some rest and wished her a good night.

* * *

Aria remembered that night after their botched attempt to capture the tiny aberrant. Hanji did manage to gather some data, but only what she discovered as a result could deem whether all the lives taken were rectified or not.

This made her think about her strange exchange that with squad leader Erwin. Aria admired the man but realized she didn't fully understand half of the reason why he was such a revered man. He was not just a great leader, but a man who had a drive like none other and used that immense incentive as a way of life. It was then, she realized how insensitive it was to thank the man after all the events that had unfolded. Being a squad leader in the survey corps, a person who other soldiers entrusted their lives to, was not only for the capable but for those who were willing to go to unimaginable lengths to achieve their goals. He probably felt horrible for being thanked for the results of a mission with such terrible outcomes.

Aria pondered if he questioned himself as a leader at moment like those. She vowed that if she were to even rise in ranks, she wouldn't become a squad leader and put herself through such torment. She knew she was too chicken shit to allow others to trust and put their lives in her hands. She wasn't even that great of a leader and felt that her only redeeming qualities were that of a follower. Aria knew her strengths an efficient teammate and would play to that for as long as she could help it.

Nonetheless, that night, Aria felt as if she passed a secret test. She didn't know if Erwin thought she gave satisfactory answers, but after that, the squad leaders had their eyes on her. But it wasn't just her. They must have formed a positive opinion of Nanaba and Klaud as well. Hanji began to invade her privacy more so than usual and to be honest, it did whatever of a job it was supposed to do. Squad leader Hanji must have done it to get a more personal scope on her and the others.

Along the way, Aria gained further insight into who the woman was beneath her titan-loving get-up. Hanji was bat-shit crazy, but everything that spewed from her mouth was the farthest from nonsense. Aria was just beginning to further participate in squad leader Hanji's projects when Mike decided to snatch, or should she say sniff, her away to become the newest members of his personal squad.

All the top squad leaders had that drive, that fuel, and passion that Aria was undoubtedly jealous of. Aria knew she would only obtain that with further involvement in the corps. That's what made her decision to join them so easy.

 _"Eep!"Aria squeaked and glowed bright red as a nose found its way in between the small gap between her and her brother's head._

 _Squad leader Mike spent a particularly long time sniffing Nanaba, who was apparently warned ahead of time about the man's habits and was currently standing nonchalantly next to her. After what seemed like an hour, the man straightened up and grunted in approval._

 _"I'm taking these three," Mike stated, setting his hands heavily on their shoulders drawing the three of them into an involuntary hug._

 _"No fair!" Squad leader Hanji burst out in disapproval. "You can't take all the good ones! Leave some for Erwin and I. At least leave me the younger Richter, Aria-chan. I'll even settle for Banana-san!"_

It felt like an oddly staged auction, but Hanji ended up retreating to terrorize other cadets into joining her division.

* * *

"Stop fidgeting, you're starting to get me unnerved as well. And for no reason." That was Nanaba's attempt at trying to scold and console Aria at the same time, but she didn't even hear him.

"It's squad leader Mike's squad!" She gushed. "He's only second to squad leader Erwin, who is also second to Commander Shadis. We're going to be in his squad!"

Klaud pinched her side to snap her back to reality as the door opened and the rest of Mike's newly hand-picked squad filed in. A woman with dark, messy hair pulled into a ponytail was the first to enter. She offered them a small smile and went to go stand beside the window. Next, a tall man with brown hair entered with a serious expression briefly scanned their faces before heading over to Ponytail. He was quite intimidating if it wasn't for the fluffy pompadour cut he sported. The man looked like he could have a stick-straight mustache, wearing a baggy, white pirate shirt and play the fiddle on the fountain steps in a town square. Finally, a dark-haired goateed man entered holding a miniature wooden horse.

At this point, Aria was sweating a waterfall. Her palms were sweaty, knees weak, and arms were heavy. When they were all in the same room together, it made Aria feel awfully tiny. Smaller than she already was. Standing at the raw height of 5'3'', she felt absolutely puny and Nanaba seemed to pick up on it. He let out a huff of laughter and coughed as to cover it up. Aria only had time to send him an exasperated look before their squad leader walked in. They all straightened up and saluted.

"At ease." The chestnut-haired man calmly looked around and nodded. "Let's all get acquainted on the field."

* * *

Turns out Gelgar, the serious Fiddler, was quite the goofball during their downtime. Aria learned the hard way when she agreed to a night out and woke up still intoxicated. This leads her to question how much she drank, which probably wasn't as much as she thought, giving her stature. If it wasn't for Lynne or Ponytail, she and Klaud would have probably been coerced to go another round with Gelgar again. Thomas, goatee-man, was pretty relaxed, all in all. He took upon whittling recently and would often make these little figurines for his daughter back home. It was Aria and Gelgar's idea to start placing them in discreet places to try and get a kick out of whoever went to go use the loo and found himself face to face with a miniature, wooden rabbit hanging from the window.

When they weren't on downtime, they worked on getting to know each other's combat styles on the field. Gelgar, Klaud, and Nanaba were the best when it came to delivering strong, striking blows with the blades, but Lynne and Aria were a little better in the agility department. Maybe it had to do with the flexible capabilities women had that men didn't. Klaud got his face smashed into the dirt by Lynne for voicing that out loud.

"Maybe little Richter and I are just better with our gears than you are." She ground the heel of her boot into his back. "We're not faster cause we're women. That's like saying you're stronger cause you're men. There are women stronger than you and men faster than us here. Come on Aria, let's go another round ourselves."

Aria cheered and hopped up onto a branch to follow her comrade. Klaud scowled at her in betrayal. From then, the men of the squad promised to not evoke the wrath of the ladies and keep their unnecessary comments to themselves.

What came as a surprise to the rest of the squad was that Aria worked most efficiently with Nanaba. It was obviously attributed to their bond, but it's not to say she didn't work exceedingly well with her counterpart brother as well. In fact, Erwin had asked Mike to offer up some from his squad to represent the scouting legion to recruit and oversee training of the fresher cadets straight out of boot camp. Every year, Mike would send Aria and Klaud for a short trip back to Stohess to acquaint themselves with the trainees and help spread the legion love.

At first, this was the exact step Aria did not want to take towards claiming minor leadership responsibilities, but it was a good change of scenery and it was refreshing to get involved with the training process, even if it was a little. Mike would only ask them to go a few days to a week at a time anyway. He also reassured her that her compatibility with her brother was a good way to show potential scouts earlier on, how it should be done. Aria beamed with pride for the next few days and it took Nanaba another couple of days to get her head out of her ass for that.

Those particular hand-to-hand combat sessions were rough. Aria could draw the exact shape and details of the bottom of Nanaba's boots blindfolded.

They were asked by Mike to meet in the dining hall after curfew one night.

"We're going to accompany Erwin on a mission tomorrow," He began, "He's got his eyes on a few potential recruits, but we're going to have to do it the unconventional way."

"Unconventional way?" Lynne pondered aloud. "They're not from the camps, sir?"

Mike shook his head, "They're from the Underground."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud.

* * *

Apparently, Erwin and Mike caught the trio in action during the time they spent in the Underground working on a secret, side project for Commander Shadis. Erwin must have seen something worth noting and was adamant about recruiting them. Everyone knew he stops at nothing to get what he wants and the Mike squad was there to aid him with just that.

"On a scale of one to ten, how dangerous exactly are they?" Aria asked adjusting the straps on her thighs. "They're just some highly skilled thieves, right?"

"Let's just say, if you let your guard down, you'll end up with your feet swept from beneath you and your throat cut in a heartbeat," Klaud replied fastening his cloak tightly.

Commander Shadis had faith in Erwin's judgment and allowed for the capture of the three criminals for possible recruitment. It was supposed to be a part of squad leader Erwin's master plan to turn bring the legion to greater heights. Whether or not the three decided to partake in it was also not exactly up to them. Erwin was smart, leaving them no toher choice than to face capital punishment. Aria thought it was a better deal than they deserved.

She peered out the window as they were preparing to enter Wall Sina-the infamous all-inclusive society where one could only gain access to through royal family relations or service in the MP, both of which probably have not had a hard day's worth of work since ever. There were no misunderstandings, even among the trainees, that those in the Military Police signed up for a nice and easy life. That's what Aria had always thought was so messed up. Those who were worthy enough to don the stupid, prestigious unicorn were actually the best soldiers from training and were okay with willingly wasting their skills here, tucked behind three walls.

"Capital pigs, the lot of them. Don't even bother." Gelgar closed the curtains on Aria, who was trying to throw an upturned nose at the fancy people passing by.

The carriage came to a halt and the rider above issued them out.

"We're here. The east entrance is down that block," he said and pointed. "You'll find it guarded by Lord Tristen's men. Some of our men that are familiar with these areas will accompany you down." With that, four of the MP stayed with the scouts as the rest of their team departed in haste.

Squad leader Erwin recounted the plan. The MP were to lead him and his squad, the primary apprehenders since they knew the areas the best. This is where Mike's squad would come in, cutting off all possible exits and pushing them back towards Erwin's squad. If all else fails, they would go in pairs to guard each exit to the surface and weed them out street by street.

"Isn't going in with our cloaks going to be a big...green flag, sir? They're going to know something's up immediately," Aria pondered aloud as they entered the staircase. A stale stench seemed to have emanated from the old walls themselves and only increased as they descended lower into the Underground. Clusters of dilapidated buildings and crumbling stalactites that hung low on the rocky "ceiling" greeted them.

"They'll figure out we're here for them whether or not we have our cloaks on," Mike answered. "For now, spread out and start looking around. Don't let your guards down and be careful of the leader. He's a dangerous one." He sniffed the air a couple of times, then took off with Erwin and the MP.

Checking their blades once more, they split up to scope the parameters, making sure to stay within earshot of eachother. They came up with a series of whistles to communicate. A long whistle to periodically check in on each other, two short whistles if you see anything suspicious, and three sporadic low-high whistles, similar to the ones they used for their horses if they were to regroup or begin a chase.

Aria stalked through a narrow alley that gave way to an open, more populated street. The civilians' shifty eyes followed her with peaked interest and but gave her a wide berth of distance as well. Aria was examining an abandoned shack when a someone slammed into her hard. Stumbling back, she regained her footing instantly and delivered a quick jab to the assailant's jugular before throwing her foot over into a high kick, which effectively connected with the second offender's head.

The men seemed to be in good shape considering the conditions she observed they were living in. The chains and gaudy whips indicated they were slave traders or gang affiliated hustlers. Aria heard commotion further up ahead and went to investigate, leaving the bodies sprawled out on the floor. She stuck close to the wall and cautiously peered over the cracked limestone bricks. Trying, and failing, to fight off a group of men was a prepubescent boy. He seemed to be bleeding from a head wound and a broken nose, which was probably due to the thugs bashing his face repeatedly against a merchant wheelbarrow.

"You think your whore of a sister is going to save you now, boy?" the man with his hair pulled back into an oily ponytail spat. "It's too bad she blacked out on us while we were fuckin' her five ways into Sina."

The man fishing through a knapsack, presumably the boy's, threw the bag to the side. "Nothing useful here. The boy might be worth a pretty penny once his banged up face heals. If only we got our hands on those gears the stinkin' shits fly around in."

Bingo. There can't have been too many people down here with stolen military gear. They must be talking about the ones the legion wants.

"Excuse me!" Aria rounded the corner with frazzled hair, pretending to be out of breath. "Do you know where to find those people you were talking about?"

"Huh?" The man holding the boy leered at her approach. "Woo! What do we have here? A lost lil' ducklin'. Tell me, sweetie, what's a thing like you doing around here?"

"Looks like sugar tits over here is looking for directions," another one chimed in. "Ain't she lucky we're good ol' folks who know the roundabouts and are gonna help for a teensy, weensy, lil' price."

The man dropped the boy and walked towards her. "Don't be 'fraid darlin', we won't bite...yet." He caught a glimpse of her gear and stopped in his tracks.

"Motherfu-"

Her foot connected with his side, sending him flying into the wall. She felt a slight sense of gratification when a couple of ribs gave way under her feet. _Left._ She dropped to the floor on her hands and quickly flipped to the right to avoid the swing of a sword narrowly. Charging towards another man, she knocked him off his feet and slammed him against the wheelbarrow, shattering it.

Aria felt, and heard, an obnoxious battle cry from behind her and swiveled around to try and catch the sucker right in the face, but the man below her grabbed her ankles, successfully tripping her. She groaned as her chin collided with the dirt sending vibrations of pain and shock upwards.

She quickly hoisted herself up at the hip and caught his sword mid-rise and kicked it away. The man let out a frustrated yell and was about to stomp down on her when a shadow flitted briefly above the both of them. She heard the whirring sound of the maneuver gear before she saw him.

The man went flying. Nanaba elbowed another incoming face and kicked him with the flat of his heel, sending yet another man flying. Aria's hair blew along with the sheer force of that kick. She knew he wasn't getting up anytime soon. The both of them continued to rain hell onto the bandits until they stopped trying to get up again. Nanaba was slightly out of breath as if he had rushed over. Aria knew his stamina was well above hers and that he wouldn't be out of breath from such an easy beating.

"Serves them right." Aria let out a long sigh, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and looked at their handiwork.

Nanaba swiped at her slightly bloody, grazed chin and raised an eyebrow. "You didn't respond to the whistle," he said.

She sent him an apologetic look. "Probably didn't hear it cause of these assholes. Well, now that you're here, it's all good. I'm fine." She waved Nanaba's concerns away. "But that boy on the other hand…"

Nanaba turned to the unconscious, battered boy. He lay prone on the floor with the few belongings that he had, scattered around the street. Nanaba came out after checking the house and shook his head.

"Poor kid," Aria commented as she wrapped her cloak around his head trying to staunch the flow of blood.

Nanaba kneeled and used the cuff of his dress shirt to wipe the blood that was already coagulating under his nose. He sighed, "It looks worse than it actually is. He'll survive though. He's done fine so far."

Aria felt uneasy leaving the boy vulnerable at the side of the road. She began to lift his body when Nanaba took the arms and swung him onto his back. They only got as far as a block when Nanaba felt the cold, flat side of a blade on his neck.

"Here would suffice. Let me down slowly and put your hands up, bitch." The boy ushered to Aria. "Drop your gears and other weapons. Lay them out on the floor where I can see 'em."

Aria froze and felt a shiver run down her spine. He spoke in a low, menacing tone, and moved with precision as if learned from experience. The kid looked no older than ten. It was insane, but it was her fault for being so naive. They were Underground-the rules were different. She unsheathed a dagger from her side and unhooked her satchel to lay on the ground. Slowly, she reached into the bag but stopped as he dug the blade deeper into Nanaba, who winced.

"Don't fuckin' try me," the kid warned.

She furrowed her eyebrows but continued to look at Nanaba. His eyes dropped to the signal gun she lightly tapped on.

"Just trying to show you everything that I've got. Calm down," said Aria.

Just like in training, Nanaba twisted the offending arm with lightning speed, causing the younger boy to cry out in pain and drop the blade. Despite how much experience the kid had, he was no opponent to an adult's brute strength. Nanaba ducked as Aria snatched the gun up and shot a flare straight into the boy's chest, knocking him out cold.

"That'll leave a nasty looking bruise." Dusting his cape off, Nanaba got up. "If he were any older, he would've ended a lot worse. Come on." He beckoned to Aria but then stopped to sigh in defeat when he realized she hadn't budged. "Fine. Make it quick. We've wasted enough time here already."

Aria dug out some spare change sitting on the bottom of her bag and tucked it into the kid's pocket. Nanaba also put in a few coins before swiftly turning around.

 _Pft, what a softie_. Aria laughed in her head.

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face," Nanaba said without looking at Aria.

A series of sharp, high-low whistles pierced the air. Immediately, the both of them hooked to the nearest building. A couple blocks away, she spotted a man with hay colored hair and another in a baggy, orange shirt disappear behind a large stalactite before quickly parting in opposite directions.

Wordlessly, they split up; Aria swerving left to chase the taller male and Nanaba right to follow the tinier one. She could see an MP approach from up ahead, causing the taller thief to hook both cables to the buildings and take a sudden dive vertically, feet first, disappearing under a bridge. Aria hopped above and as expected, the man tried to spring an attack from below immediately after exiting.

She hastily leaned back to avoid his kick and swore she felt the tip of his shoes graze her chin. _He's fast_ , she idly thought. _Faster than your average Joe._ The both of them collided and crashed through the windows of an adjacent building. From there, they engaged in close-quarter combat. Locked in a furious battle, they both tried to subdue and pin the other down.

He managed to catch her on her temple with his elbow, but she threw her legs out causing him to smash against a tall cabinet. He couldn't have seen her coming when two cables hooked onto the walls next to his shoulder and the sound of gas being released was heard. Aria barreled into his chest, knocking him straight through the dilapidated walls, which gave way easily.

Both of them fell to the streets below, the man landing hard on his tailbone and Aria rolling herself into a crouch. She retracted her cables after seeing the man struggling to get up.

Gelgar came and apprehended the male using ropes. They regrouped with the others, the taller male with Gelgar and the one with the orange shirt, in Lynne's hands. The girl was kicking up a storm while Lynne looked on sheepishly for having to man-handle the kid.

"Just you wait, you scout pigs! Big Brother will kill you all!" she shouted, continuing to struggle with her bonds.

Klaud glanced at their captives. "They're not really what I had in mind..." he commented.

Aria silently agreed. They both looked far from dangerous, especially the younger girl who was still yacking her cute little head off.

* * *

The dark haired leader growled in frustration as he was forced to kneel in front of the man who introduced himself as Erwin Smith of the Scouting Legion. He looked towards his companions held hostage in the arms of the soldiers. There were a good fifteen soldiers in the vicinity, but of them, only seven were close enough to kill.

A tall man with a mustache and goatee, whom he had fought briefly with before, stood beside the blond one. The both of them posed the biggest threats so far, but nothing he couldn't handle. He could probably also kill the other five standing around, starting with the two holding Farlan and Isabel. Levi assessed the other three. One male had blond, no, almost white hair fashioned in a pixie cut and a formidable look in his sharp, light blue eyes. The other male had messy, dark brown hair and stood aloof alongside the girl soldier. He should be easy to take down. Levi could imagine throwing his dagger right now and nailing him right in the jugular. The last soldier was a girl with auburn hair tied into short pigtail braids, which hung above her shoulders and gave her a more childish appearance, but he wasn't fooled. She gazed at him with calculating and uneasy eyes.

"You must be thinking of ways you can murder us all right now and escape. Look around you, Levi. It's useless." Erwin's firm voice lifted Levi out of his scheming. After being proposed his shit options, he reluctantly agreed for them to join the Survey Corps.

He gritted his teeth in abhorrence and vowed to succeed in getting the fucking papers for the man, Nicholas Lobov and after winning their lives out of this hell hole, he'd make sure to slice all their throats in the slowest way possible, starting with the blue-eyed, blonde-haired piece of shit in front of him. He couldn't wait for this to be over.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I only own the Richter twins. The AOT universe belongs to Hajime Isayama.**

 **Quick thanks to lilnightmare17, FanManga28,** **and Guest(s) for reviewing!**

 **Chapter 4:**

* * *

Mike was riding in the carriage with the three from the Underground, whilst part of Mike's squad rode with Erwin leaving Aria and Gelgar to sit with Erwin's squad. Mike worked closely with Erwin, so it was only natural for their squads to know each other. Aria could see from the corner of her eyes one of Erwin's men, Heilmer, kept shifting his eyes over to the carriage carrying newcomers.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" He stiffly asked. "They're good, yes, I'll give them that, but to allow _criminals_ into our ranks? How can we trust people like that?"

Aria's mind raced back to the boy who prompted turned on them after having been saved. Rules, or the lack thereof, were different to people in the Underground. She didn't trust the three an ounce, especially after seeing how they were practically forced against their wills to join the legion. Aria perked up as the conversation made a turn.

"Apparently they're thinking about cutting supplies for the Scouts. I'm not sure who it is, but he's the frontrunning advocator for abolishing the legion."

"Are they fucking insane? We already receive the least out of all the branches," Gelgar growled. "If they withhold anymore, the number of our expeditions will be cut drastically. I don't even want to think about that happening." He sighed. None of them wanted all their efforts to be for naught.

If the capital suspended their next supply, they probably wouldn't even be able to manage another expedition for a long time. After that, who knows how long until they decide to support the scouts again. Aria frowned.

"And those rats over there are supposed to be the key to our survival," Heilmer said, tilting his head toward the carriage next to them. "Squad leader Erwin has high hopes for our turnabout. I also overheard a conversation between squad leader Erwin and commander Shadis the other day. Something must have gotten him worked up enough to raise his voice at the Commander."

Heilmer was a relatively serious and all-around loyal man. It slightly shocked Aria to see him initiate gossip, much less, gossip concerning his squad leader. It must have really bothered him for him to try and discuss it with soldiers outside his own team.

"I heard as well," Ranwell, a girl from Erwin's, added. "Putting the pieces together, I would say Shadis didn't have the willpower, nor the dedication to fight for the survey corps any longer. I think he decided that it was futile to continue grasping at straws with the Capital. Squad leader Erwin must have taken that to offense considering all that we've sacrificed." She looked around worriedly as if they would rat her out for talking about the Commander in such a way.

It wasn't a surprise that Shadis fell short to Erwin when it came to the principles that the scouts upheld. Erwin knew it extended beyond the fight against the titans. Sometimes, it was easy to forget the bigger picture, forget that they were fighting for, to put quite dramatically, the freedom of humanity. Freedom from capital corruption, from the suffocating walls that protected and trapped them at the same time, and from humans themselves.

Aria had witnessed the things humans would do for food, clothes, security. Some people would even throw away their own children if it meant they could gain something as meaningless as access to Sina. Hell, they just came from the goddamn Underground-the epitome of human corruption and a perfect example of how dangerous humans can be. She was beginning to give herself a headache. This was bigger than she thought and is beginning to look like the scouts need the three more than they need the scouts.

She looked out the window, observing the slight commotion the guards made to open the gates. Sighing as they passed through the first wall, Aria felt like she could breathe just as little better.

They arrived back to the headquarters, but Aria didn't get another chance to observe the three until a scuffle broke out in the canteen between the younger girl and a couple of newer scouts. They continued to trash talk not-so-quietly about the girl and her companions. Next thing she knew, they were against the walls throwing wild punches. The girl couldn't stand her own against the boys and ended up with a nosebleed and one pigtail hacked off.

"Since you little wolflings are attacking the poor lamb already." Hanji stepped forward into their faces and grinned maliciously. "Would you care to learn about how titans, who keep in mind, don't have minds," she broke into a peal of laughter at her clever play on words,"end up gathering together and attacking their prey just like you nasty buggers just did?"

Aria could visibly see the cadets shiver before shaking their heads and scrambling away. The girl had already gone, pissing off somewhere else. Aria had to admit, the girl had a backbone, which was something she could always appreciate. It was later that night when another commotion broke out in the fields but ended so quickly that even Aria, who was patrolling, didn't catch who was involved. Actually, the ones involved were lying, battered on the ground, but the cadets around were muttering something about, this time, the raven-haired newcomer.

* * *

"He's reeeaaallllly interesting, that Levi Ackerman," Hanji moaned as she appeared out of nowhere and stood almost on top of the two. Aria and Nanaba had just finished a long run and were resting on the porch. Nanaba flinched at the sudden scare the scientist mercilessly inflicted upon them. Aria shamelessly screamed and sat up from the floor she was starfishing on.

"Jesu-" Aria began.

"Nope! No Jesus over here, but Levi Ackerman and his two buddies are over there." Hanji pointed to the canteen. "They intrigue me immensely."

They waited for her to continue.

"You see," She began, taking each of their hands and tightened her grip as she more and more excited. "I went over with Mobilt to talk to them just now and I guess I said something wrong, but the leader, that short one, had this intense kind of look in his eyes."

"Intense as in-" Aria didn't get to finish before Hanji interrupted again.

"As in he wanted to kill me right on that spot!" She laughed.

Aria exchanged glances with Nanaba. "Squad leader Hanji, I don't thi-"

"I shall observe them at training tomorrow!" Hanji dropped their hands to rub her chin. "Erwin seems so sure about them. I can't wait to see them in action."

Nanaba only smirked at Aria as she sighed, giving up on trying to have a conversation with the woman. They continued to listen.

"That younger one. Very trusting." Hanji recalled the girl accepting her bag of sweets. "The taller one doesn't seem too bad either. Both of them are quite the nice individuals, but their leader, on the other hand, …that's someone I want to get to know. Everything. I want to take apart his little mind and see what makes him tick." She wiggled her fingers for emphasis. "He's different from his friends. Always calculating and observing with his guard up. He hit me as a lone wolf, but that's where it gets interesting. What is he doing with such...tame people like Church and Magnolia?"

Aria hasn't met the said man, nor interacted with him aside from their capture and initiation into the corps. Therefore, she didn't really understand Hanji's inquiries. Nonetheless, it did raise some thought-provoking questions she had for them herself.

She heard they were to be put under squad leader Flagon, whom she didn't particularly like. He was a bit too arrogant and loud for her taste in leadership. Still, he's a veteran scout and a damn good soldier. Sayram, on the other hand, worked with her personally in his trainee days when she went on her biannual trip to boot camp with Klaud. They were more acquaintances than friends. It didn't help that she noticed he harbored a small crush on her. Flagon's group was just a firecracker waiting to be set off. Aria couldn't imagine how that squad was going to work alongside the three recruits.

* * *

Aria was just heading out of the barn when she spotted the younger one, Isabel, expertly handling a foal, who was not yet broken in. Aria watched with fascination as a scout, probably from Flagon's squad, attempted to subdue the animal, but Isabel hopped on its back with grace and calmed the foal almost immediately. Flagon emerged from the barn aside Aria and spared a glance before heading over to reprimand his teammate for letting the girl take a horse so easily. Isabel was sent back, trudging her way over to the barn before stopping when having noticed an onlooker.

"Whatcha lookin' at, huh?" She half-assedly glared at Aria as if expecting a reprimand afterward.

Unperturbed, Aria asked, "Where did you learn how to handle them?" It just so happened that Aria was particularly fond of animals as well and it was easy to get attached to the horses when so much time was spent around them, but she learned the hard way, that it wasn't a good idea.

"I've always been great with animals! It's just humans that are difficult…" Isabel trailed off. The younger girl was fidgeting with shorter ends of her hair. Without realizing it, Aria reached out to finger the awkwardly cut off ends. Isabel flinched before smacking the hand away.

"You gonna make fun of me as well?" She asked challengingly.

Aria blinked. "No, not exactly."

"Cause if you're thinkin' about it, I'll show you! This'll grow back in no time. You just wait and see," the girl sneered impertinently.

Unsure what to do, yet mildly amused, Aria let out a light laugh through her nose and said, "What if I said I knew a way to make it look better faster?"

Isabel faltered, perking up. "Faster?" She echoed in curiosity.

Aria nodded and smiled. "But you've got to trust me."

"You crazy lady! I just met you! How can I give you my trust?" Isabel snorted.

The girl had a point. Aria drew out a blade slowly as not to alarm her and rolled her eyes.

"Like this," she said, ushering her blade forward. "Just cut the other end off and it's even. Easy."

"You're outta your mind!" Isabel hollered and turned to leave.

"Fine, we can tie them into neat little braids. Your hair won't be so messy anymore." Aria patted herself on the shoulders for her compromising skills. "They'll kind of be like mine,"she added.

Isabel peered over to scrutinize her hair with distrust. "You sure? It'll look like that even with my kinda hair?" She scrunched her choppy locks for emphasis.

After they were done, Isabel was grinning from ear to ear.

"It kinda looks like before. But shorter! And neater! This is awesome. Now big bro and Farlan won't give me that look again." She thrust a small knapsack out to Aria. "Here. I really like these. Some crazy glasses lady gave them to me, but I'll let letcha have some."

Aria realized it was her method of saying thanks and smiled at how childish the girl seemed, despite her reputation. This is what Hanji must have been talking about. She was quite the character, this Isabel from the Underground.

* * *

Squad leader Mike had ordered them to train with their gears after hand-to-hand. Naturally, they initiated a competition amongst themselves. Lynne finished beating down Gelgar and Klaud both, five times each before rushing into the forest to get a head start. Nanaba and Gelgar followed shortly after.

It was just the Richter siblings and Thomas left, who were spread out in a triangle, eyeing each other to see who would make the first hit. Feinting a left, Aria threw a punch, aiming for Klaud's ribs but ended flat on her back after he used brute strength to push her back. Not wanting to disappoint Mike, who was watching from afar, she hastily got back on her feet and locked Klaud in a headlock before throwing him down. She laughed in glee before racing off after her teammates.

Her small and lithe stature allowed her to excel more so in speed than strength, thus, it was crucial for her to gain as much speed before delivering a blow so that the cut was deep enough. Despite how much she trained to develop more muscle, there was still a limit to how much her body could handle.

She was also working on different techniques that would allow her to maintain the same speed with less gas expenditure. Using the momentum of the initial propel, she was able to swing quickly from tree to tree. After nabbing the third nape of the titan props, she caught a glimpse of Klaud from up ahead. All of them must be in the forest already. This meant she would have to pick up the slack, otherwise, all the dummies would be slashed.

Just as she was about to zero in on her fourth, a swirling mass zipped around from behind and slashed the prop with ferocious agility and strength that made her squeak a startled cry. Too late to stop, they collided in midair. She crashed into a tree and quickly hooked onto the trunk to prevent falling down to the floor a hundred feet down below. She heard a string of curses and figured the person saved themselves as well. Aria whipped around to yell.

"Oi, watch it!"

"Watch where the fuck you're going!"

Both of them spoke at the same time. It was the raven-haired ringleader of the little troop of thugs they picked up the Underground. Before she could comprehend the comical aspect of what just happened, his face darkened menacingly after having caught who he bumped into.

"You," he spat and hooked his wires onto her tree to slam her back on the trunk with the hilt of his blades. "You're the one who touched Isabel. Stay the fuck away or I'll fucking kill-"

"Levi!" His chestnut-haired companion called out to him, giving Levi a warning look that Aria couldn't quite decipher. The both of them sped away and were out of her hair in a blink of an eye.

 _So that was the infamous Levi._ Aria took a chance to catch her breath. _What an asshole._

Seeing that she already wasted so much time, she headed off quickly to continue hunting. Without as much as a sound of the maneuver gear, she yelped in surprise as she was suddenly tackled to the ground. After realizing who it was, Aria let out another surprised scream.

"Dead," said Mike, thrusting his blade into the ground next to her head.

Not wanting to lose to him, she sprung up and tried to sweep him off his feet before zooming ahead to put some distance for the time being. This time, she could hear him chasing her and she'd admit, it frightened her a tad bit. Mike was a strong and skilled soldier. She had no doubt that he'd catch up in no time and initiate another fight. _Speak of the devil._ He threw a kick at her in midair, which she narrowly missed and retaliated by using the tree as leverage and barreling into his midsection. He caught her elbow but still crashed into the tree behind. Both their blades connected and they exchanged blows until he managed to bring the hilt onto her shoulder.

Mike caught her before she fell and flew down only to drop her to the ground safely. "Dead again. You have openings you need to work on."

Aria sighed and laughed at the same time.

"But good job today. Keep it up." He gently nodded back and took off to presumably take down her other unsuspecting teammates.

 _What on Earth just happened?_ She was left alone on the forest floor and laughed out loud to no one.

* * *

Both males perked their heads up and listened intently for anything that would follow after.

"I know that manly scream from anywhere. Hell, I grew up with that annoying voice." Klaud nervously chuckled and looked over at Nanaba and Gelgar. "That was Aria."

"That girl's always yelling about something," laughed Gelgar. "I wonder what happened."

The three of them kept their eyes trained on behind, anticipating an impending doom. It could have been mistaken as the rustling of the leaves or some sort, but it was still there-the sound of the maneuver gear.

"One, two, and three. Dead." A voice whispered from behind them. The last thing they heard was a quiet sniff.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: SNK belongs to Hajime Isayama!**

I don't think I'm following Choice with No Regrets accurately. Maybe I tweaked a few things, but I'm writing off of what I remember. And sorry for the long delay! After finals are over, I plan on uploading regularly. Hopefully, every week or even faster, if time permits. My last one is next Wednesday, so don't give up on me ;)

 **Here you go!**

 **Chapter 5:**

* * *

Her scalp gently ached after being released from the braid. She took a deep breath and let the cool smell of rain and grass filled her nostrils. Aria stretched while waiting for the rest of her team, relishing the calm before the storm. Golden patches of sun opened up in a halo on the ground, calling her to curl up on them and soak in the rays from above. Rivulets of sweat seemed to have dried after its initial run down her spine, leaving her skin tight and somewhat refreshed. She saw and felt a shadow glaze overhead and opened her eyes to the redhead girl looming over her.

"Whatcha doing?" Isabel asked, giving her a funny look.

Aria closed her eyes again, smiled, and shrugged. "Feels good."

She felt the pebbles shift around her and peaked an eye open to watch Isabel attempting to settle herself on the sunspot as well. They sat in silence, listening to the dull chatter of cicadas until it began to all blend into background noise. Aria was beginning to settle in when Isabel inevitably perked up.

"Boooring! This is stupid," said the younger girl bouncing to her feet.

"Isabel!" Farlan Church, who must have overheard his friend, began to scold. "You have to stop saying things like that. We're supposed to uh..." he tapered off after noticing Aria, "Hey! It's you!"

Church glanced at her up and down in distrust, obviously remembering their altercation in the Underground. He started to saying something along the lines of a rematch but quickly backpedaled after she threw him a look of confusion and annoyance. Aria was a bit taken aback by the nerve of him to request such a thing.

Truthfully, she was a bit curious about their capabilities, but they didn't seem worth getting in trouble for. Biting her lip and propping herself up on an elbow, she thought for a moment. She was always up for a challenge, but they had been training since the early morning and she was starting to feel the effects now. The last thing she wanted to do was delay her shower time, be late for dinner, and get last pickings because she couldn't turn down a fight.

Then came the Ackerman, strutting over as if he was big shit, ignoring Isabel's exuberant greeting, and barely giving Aria a glance before beckoning his friends to follow. Farlan protested a bit before heading back with the man. Problem solved. She didn't have to make a decision now.

"She's probably weak as fuck anyways," the Ackerman said shooing her away like a fly. "I can't imagine why you'd want to fight someone who can't even watch where they're going."

Isabel looked to the Ackerman and then back at Aria. "Big Bro, I think she heard that," she called over to the Ackerman's retreating back. The man gave no sign of having heard her. Magnolia shrugged and patted Aria's shoulders clumsily. "Don't worry about him. Big bro's always like that! But you can ignore Farlan. He can be dumb sometimes. And he calls _me_ stupid," she grumbled the last part before waving at the dumbstruck aburnette.

Was that her way of comforting her? The girl can be strangely adorable at times. The underground trio plodded along like a trail of goldfish poo. It was ironic how the Ackerman seemed to still look down at the scouts. Maybe he didn't realize he was donning a uniform as well.

"This is why I don't want to get involved with arrogant pricks like him," Aria muttered under her breath.

"I don't plan on sticking around any longer, darlin'. I need me something strong tonight," Gelgar sighed appearing out of nowhere.

Aria jumped and let out a hearty laugh before chastising,"Stop drinking so much. It's not good for you." He continued whining about elder abuse the entire way back to the training grounds.

Mike gathered everyone to give them the usual feedback. Aria looked down at the floor, toeing a few large pebbles around with her shoes. She was the first to get caught and Klaud was second to last. Nanaba, of course, was found last. Mike offered them a brief word of approval before ordering her to train for an extra hour and run a few laps before dinner.

She took off into the trees in embarrassment. It wasn't that she wasn't a good soldier. Aria just wasn't up to par with those like Nanaba and Klaud...yet. She isn't oblivious to the fact that her brother was improving at a faster pace than she was or that he got more recognition from Mike than she did.

She slammed her blades down slicing through the cushioned nape like butter. This was a wedge that brought distance to their relationship, she realized. Unwanted, searing jealousy that demanded a point to be proven. She just needed to work harder on finding what worked best for her, she summarized. Aria made a sharp turn and switched levers to attack another wooden titan. Conflicted, she was also proud of him. It was being compared to him that bogged down her conscious.

She was Aria; not Klaud's god damn younger sister. She was Aria motherfucking Richter and was going to show them that. Now, if she could just finish up here and hopefully get some wine before the Gelgar drank it all.

* * *

It was silent as they waited for the tell-tale command of Shadis to commence the next expedition outside the walls. Word has been going around that Erwin finalized his plans for the new legion formation and that it was going to be implemented on this expedition. Ideally, casualties would be less and everything would proceed smoothly. Mike's squad was stationed on the left flank and Hanji's squad was stationed on the right, leaving Flagon's squad sandwiched safely in between the two. Erwin led the legion with Shadis up ahead.

"Klaud and Lynne, support those in the west. Make sure to keep an eye on the supply carts," said Mike. "Nanaba, you're with me. We're going to provide support for Erwin. Gelgar and Thomas, cover the medics and behind us. Aria, you're in charge of the horses. Keep a lookout for incoming scouts and relay the message to others."

Trying not to feel peeved at how insignificant her role was compared to her friends, she focused on hooking two spare horses to the ring on her saddle. The gates opened and they were off. Aria tightened the grip on her reins before catching Nanaba's gaze. _Focus._ Shadis' arm flew up and gave the signal to move forward. Capes billowed, clouds of dust lifted, hooves thundered, and the 23rd expedition had begun.

All seemed to be alright in terms of what 'alright' meant outside the walls. It was relatively quiet, aside from a few lone titans. Communication between the ranks was working just as practiced. It wasn't until reports from the right started tapering off did it cause them alarm. Then, it stopped altogether.

Mike's squad was faced with a dilemma with half of its members in spread out into other locations. Mike told them to have faith and continue as planned until things were sorted out. They waiting anxiously for the scout from the right to make his way towards them. It wasn't until he was close enough did they notice his broken gear and bloodied forehead.

"Squad leader Pietro needs-" He broke off, struggling to talk through his labored breathing. "They broke through...aberrants..." His horse stumbled, pitching him forward. Thomas caught the younger scout.

"Sir?" Gelgar asked in worry. Pietro was stationed on the right flank. It seemed unlikely for the boy to have traveled all the way to their position in the left flank without relaying to the center unless they were disabled as well. Thomas was getting ready to bring the younger scout to the medic squad.

"Follow Thomas and inform the medics of the situation. They'll be more useful in the right flank than here. Aria, check in on Flagon's squad," said Mike, pausing to sniff the air. "Doesn't smell right. Check in with Hanji as well if you can and take some soldiers from our side with you."

Aria gathered a few scouts and immediately veered off in search of the said captain. Aria also knew Mike meant for her to keep an eye on the newer trio as well. Just in case. She passed some scouts who were traveling towards the left flank and made sure to alert them of the situation. It was strange since they were not panicking, nor did they seem to know what happened to those in the right flank despite coming from that general direction. She had a hunch that the problem wasn't coming from the right flanks but rather from the soldiers stationed behind them.

Aria traveled southbound as accurately as she could. She had sent away one of her own to catch a few horses gone rogue. Never a good sign. Aria assessed the two scouts she had left, grateful that one belonged to someone she worked with back in their days at training camp.

"Some of my friends are with squad leader Hanji and Pietro. Many of the newer recruits were stationed in the right flank," he worriedly told Aria. The poor boy was a far cry from the confident, promising cadet she witnessed graduate third in his class. This wasn't his first expedition, but this situation would rattle any scout. Aria was lying if she said she was any more confident. Being in mortal peril wasn't something people simply "got used to".

Aria would bet her horse that it was the groups behind them that were disabled. Communications being cut from the east suggested they were the first to get hit by the wave of titans munching their way into their ranks. That was unless they were being cornered on both sides. It was a tragic marvel how fast those monsters could wreak havoc.

"Breathe through your nose, Hiersh. We'll get to the bottom of this. If you're right about what you're implying, then we all need to keep our heads together," said Aria as she steadily assessed his darting eyes and ashen complexion. "That being said," she continued, "We need to do whatever we need to do to get everyone on all sides informed. I'm going to need you to work with me here." Aria redrew their formation in her head. Four hopefully intact squads in the east, medics arriving with Gelgar and Thomas, and half of Mike's squad should be enough to hold back whatever was happening.

"Report from the west!" she heard Sayram holler to his captain as they neared. Aria caught sight of Flagon's squad and sighed in relief when she saw they were still alive. Nothing pummeled through here yet.

"Communication has been cut from the east. Have you got word on what's happening?" Flagon demanded at their arrival. Aria started to inform him of everything but stopped when she noticed that he had five men, not including a particular trio.

"Where are they?" She questioned anxiously.

"Excuse me? Who do you think you're talking to?" The captain curled his lips in distaste. Aria could hear cheering from Isabel and Church from behind. Two titans lay flat on the ground, disintegrating.

"They took down the aberrant captain…" Sayram spoke as if he didn't want to believe it.

Aria almost choked in shock. "You let the newer recruits take down two titans by themselves? One of which is an aberrant?" She asked in alarm. "How could you have gambled their lives like that?"

"Watch what the fuck you're saying, Richter," he warned, grabbing her collar in rage. "I'm a squad leader and you're just a scout. Know your place, brat," he spat. "They went off on their own anyway. If they want to throw away their sorry lives like that, they can go and do just that. I'm not risking my men for them."

"Sir, with all due respect, whether you want to accept it or not, they're your men as well. This is their first time beyond the walls and first time seeing real titans. It doesn't matter how skilled they are, these are _titans_ we're talking about. You've seen them. You _know_ how they can be," said Aria, letting her anger foolishly get the best of her.

At that moment, he wasn't her superior and she wasn't his subordinate. He was just a man that couldn't throw away his stupid pride and was carelessly putting the lives of others in danger. Nothing is worse than letting those who trusted you with their lives die under your watch.

"Next time, their blood might be on your hands," she solemnly finished. If Aria wasn't so caught up in the anger she was feeling for how selfish Flagon was being, she would have realized the underground trio had already quietly regrouped in time to hear everything.

"It's okay, sis, you didn't see how easily we took down those humongo, stupid heads anyway. It was fast but we were faster! It was pretty cool, right Aniki? They didn't even see us coming," said the pig-tailed redhead. She held a triumphant look, but Aria remained stoic.

"This is not a game, Magnolia." Aria didn't miss how her face fell when she addressed the younger girl formally.

The Ackerman glared at her. "Your jabbering is probably going to attract more of them. You're doing more bad than good going off on people like that," he said.

Flagon looked at the Ackerman in surprise and slight approval before ordering Aria back to her squad. The god damn hard headed fools didn't see how two titans making its way up to the middle flank were two too many. Aria could make out fully intact groups of scouts to their east at the treeline. It didn't add up.

The injured scout supposedly came from the east as well and that was why Mike originally thought it was the right flank that was disabled, but from the looks of it here, the right flank was fine. That meant he must have come from behind, intending to relay to Flagon at the center just up head. If the titans already worked their way up to Hanji's squad, it would've forced him to relay to Mike's position in the left flank. Titans were probably following the trail of human crumbs. Logically, they would arrive at the center where they were any moment now.

"Have you gone deaf from all your own yelling now, Richter? I said get a move on," ordered Flagon. Effectively pulling her from her spiraling thoughts, Aria spun over to one of her scouts and ordered him to get as much backup as he can from the squads up ahead and to tell them to alert Mike.

"You've gone nuts," said Flagon, looking at her as if she'd grown a second head. When Aria paid him no attention, he became even more enraged. "Look here. _I'm_ the one giving orders here. All you need to do is obey yours. You, boy, just go back to your squad and bring this stupid girl back with you. I got it all covered over here."

" _Listen_ to me-" Aria tried to begin again but was cut off.

"Squad leader!"

Flagon looked up in confusion when it was Aria who turned in response after having recognized Hiersh's voice. Aria didn't know when she started thinking of them as her men, because she certainly wasn't a squad leader and had no desire to be one, but in their makeshift little group, it seems like she was appointed their leader.

Heirsh pointed to the cluster of birds that lifted off the trees. Almost instantly after, the ground began to shake. Aria focused on the neighboring scouts visible in the forest, who were clearly in distress as well. The ugliest, most massive titan she had ever seen broke the treeline, followed by a handful of squat, shorter titans all running straight for them.

The massive titan was obviously an aberrant, running at an alarming speed and plowing through the scouts with ungodly strength. Aria could see its muscles ripple after skidding too far due to its momentum. It was enormous and it absolutely terrified her. She had never seen anything like it. It plunged its face into the dirt and picked up scouts in pairs, viciously shaking them like a dog would. Aria could see the blood spray as a result of the sheer force of its swings.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Levi Ackerman get ready to steer his horse in that direction, probably to handle the problem before it reached his friends. She grabbed his reins and pulled him back so harshly, their horses collided briefly. He opened his mouth to argue but remained silent after seeing the look on her face.

Aria could imagine Isabel commenting on how uncool she looked at the moment. She shouldn't have lost her temper and taken it out on the younger girl. In actuality, she was pleasantly surprised to be considered a friend to the girl. 'Sis' was along the lines of how she called Ackerman and Church 'bro'.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is and frankly, I can't stand your holier-than-thou attitude. It pisses me off to no extent, but you're strong and I respect that. Maybe you can take them on and survive, maybe you won't. Who knows, but are you willing to take that chance? Your friends are not the only ones depending on you to keep a level head." Aria paused before admitting, "We don't want your friends' blood on our hands any more than you want it on yours. If we're going to get out of this alive, we need to work together." Aria knew the man's only concern was for his friends, but as of now, they needed each other. "You'd be more help getting back-up. So don't go doing something stupid and fuck it up for the all of us. "

At this point, Aria was just blabbering off the top of her head. She hoped she effectively conveyed what she wanted to properly say, but all she could think of was how on Sina's unholy earth they were going to get out of this before they were surrounded. She watched the smaller titans pick off those who were unlucky enough to still be alive after the Giant titan's rampage. Aria hastily untangled the ropes of her spare horses and let them go, in hope, they'll be of help to the stranded scouts.

"I know you're going to fight. Let me come with you." Aria barely heard Hiersh above Flagon shouting orders to his squad members. "You're asking them to trust you, but you're a hypocrite," he continued. Aria stared at him in disbelief. This was the last thing she wanted to hear from him for many reasons; one being because she didn't believe he was ready and another being that she prided herself on her loyalty.

"You don't trust me," Hiersh noted. "I know you will refuse, but I am going to fight with you. You said we would do what we need to do and that we'll come out of this. I trust you on that."

"Don't try to make me feel guilty at a time like this," Aria said, feeling wronged. "Look at them. Just _look_ at them." Her voice wavered as she watched the titans clamoring over each other to get a piece of leg or arm. She imagined all the newer recruits from squads behind them being tossed into the air like ragdolls by the Giant and devoured by the rest of the tinier titans.

Strange enough, it was just standing there, grinning, chewing leisurely on some sort of appendage. Her stomach dropped after recognizing the crumpled black scarf that belonged to squad leader Pietro at its feet and realized it was gnawing on her superior. It reared its ugly head over to a scout in the grip of a shorter titan. Aria winced as he plucked off his own share and brought the now silent cadet to his raw lips. It groaned in approval.

"Levi-aniki?" Isabel anxiously called over to the Ackerman as part of Flagon's squad began to split into those who would stay those who would go back to get back-up. Aria caught Levi Ackerman's stare before giving him a nod of relief as he and his friends got ready to head back to the center of the formation.

"Flagon," Aria warned.

"Fuck. I know," he responded. The captain gripped his blades as three more titans broke into the clearing from the right. "It doesn't make sense. How?! Where did they all come from?"

Aria counted eight and that didn't include the abnormal who was now hanging back, seemingly content with picking at the remains of those he tore up. The tinier ones made its way towards them. They would only be leading the mass of titans into the legion if they all retreated.

A beefy hand made a grab at Sayram, who swerved to avoid it and took the chance to latch and tear into its shoulder muscles. Hiersh swung in from below and swung at the five-meter titan. Aria landed back on her horse after taking care of a shy one. It lay, bent against the tree it was just cowering behind seconds ago. She kept an eye out for the third one, only to find it already taken care of.

Aria turned to face whatever was left of the small surprise party of squat titans. She grunted as one caught her side, throwing her off balance. Aria was able to use her smaller frame to swiftly flip back and avoid another grab before landing firmly on its extended arm. She made haste, attaching to its face. It trained its eyes on her and opened its mouth, moaning in anticipation. Aria swung around to slice the bastard's nape clean through to the bone.

"Fall back!" she heard Flagon bellow. They've cut the numbers down by more than half, giving the others more than enough time to regroup. Steam continued to rise from a large amount of blood clinging to their capes.

"You guys made it back!" cheered Isabel.

Only now, there were four of them out of the original five that stayed behind. It was so chaotic that Aria only just remembered that she hadn't seen Heirsh or his friend after taking down three titans in the forest. Aria could feel the sting from her bruised ribs, but somehow the pounding of her heart hurt more.

They hardly had time to catch their breath when a whistling could be heard. It got louder as the projectile approached. A hot, wet explosion of red went off to her right. Aria only got a glimpse of Hiersh before his body was landed on the floor with such force that even after his body seemed to have split in half, parts continued to bounce off the grass before settling in a messy puddle of gore and black hair. It took her a second to process what was seeping slowly into her uniform and staining the side of her face. _We'll get out of this. I trust you._ His words echoed in her head. A short, anguished cry of surprise ripped itself from Aria's throat. She had to physically swallow down the feeling of nausea building up to prevent throwing up.

This time it was the Ackerman who yanked her reins to bring her in when Heirsh's friend came flying next. There was no accuracy. Just sheer dumb luck that the first shot managed to hit so close. The body splattered into the ground somewhere to her far right.

"Sir! It already caught up!" Sayram cried to his captain.

None of the smaller ones could be seen at the distance; only the enormous figure of the Giant titan loomed over the top of the hill. It started down the slope on all fours, scurrying towards them. None of the soldiers trailing behind could stop the titan, much less hook on due to its feverish speed.

Smaller groups of soldiers didn't seem to interest the Giant. It broke into a run, squashing them like flies, going for jackpot; Aria and Flagon's group who were traveling in a pack of nine or so. She didn't question where it learned to start throwing things or to what extent its abnormality was. Clearly, it was a fucking monster and she would be damned if she didn't kill it. Flagon watched as Aria mounted precariously on her horse, muscles coiled tensely as if ready to pounce, blades stationed together, ready.

"Richter, don't-" Flagon didn't get to finish.

She could feel its hot, heavy breath before she even felt the rumble directly beside her. Her hook successfully dug into its leg and in a blink of its eye, she scaled up its broad back, tracing long cuts with her blades behind her.

"She's on!" a scout shouted as they continued their trek north.

She had hoped her presence would stall its advance but the Giant simply shuddered violently, resuming its pace towards the others almost instantly. Aria slammed her blades into its eye down to the hilt and hopped off leaving them in. It let out a screech and tried to swat at her with gripping motions. She carved out whatever she could get her blades on, trying to render at least one appendage useless, but couldn't. It was too massive and her cuts regenerated before she could fully incapacitate it.

After a few wholesome attempts, she found herself losing speed and strength. It was difficult trying to keep up with its grabs and swings. At one point, it managed to snag her cloak, causing her to choke from the pull. Aria managed to use that momentum to flip back and break the brooch, ridding herself of the garment before it could pull her into its mouth.

Blinding one eye didn't seem to have an effect and it seemed oblivious to the tiny scratches she was inflicting upon it. It was much too large for one soldier to subdue. Aria banked everything on her last idea. Keeping the hooks in its back, she grunted and descended quickly onto its ankle, shredding the tendon there. It could have easily kicked her into oblivion if she wasn't careful enough, but after several carefully timed cuts, the Giant finally lost its balance, pitching forward. Aria quickly released the trigger, propelled up its back again before zeroing in on the column of its neck.

 _Go to hell, fucker_. Aria gritted her teeth and zipped in, leaving a clean cleavage right into the nape.

Her gear gasped and sputtered stressfully indicating its low gas level. She landed with the monster, crashing down on its stinking mat of coarse, stringy hair. The stench of years of dirt and sweat buildup was exacerbated by the steam being released in torrents by the rapidly decaying giant.

She gagged whilst trying to get away from the core of it before doubling over, bracing herself on her quaking thighs. The pounding of her ribs returned with vengeance. Aria panted in exertion and flexed her fingertips trying to disperse the numbing sensation that built up after maintaining an iron grip on her blades for so long. Aria discarded her blunt blades and holstered the hilts securely into the blade.

She realized Flagon's group was fell behind as she was taken for a ride by the Giant. She whistled for a horse while waiting for them dangerously out in the open. Just as her gear breathed its final breath, a shadow fell upon her.

* * *

 **Thanks for the favorites, reviews, and follows!**

 **Guest(s?)** : I don't think so. I guess I'll see how the story develops over time, but I don't intend to cross that boundary. I always imagined Nanaba and Mike to have shared a bond that had only developed through years of trust and friendship.

 **Sal00D18:** I'm fine with that! I hope Aria becomes that likable character that everyone can low-key ship with anyone. LOL.

 **CrystalVixen93:** Thanks! I know I don't update consistently, but it's just cause school's in the way. Bear with me a little more!

 **Yomiii21:** With my deteriorating knowledge of Spanish, I understand that your favorite is Mike in the series, which makes me think you're a rare one (given the little screen/manga time he has)! And who doesn't hate Zeke…that beast. ;) If you know what I'm saying.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything AOT except Aria and Klaud.**

* * *

She took to her feet despite knowing it was futile. It was impossible to outrun a titan by foot, but she still tried to put some distance between them to allow her horse time to reach her. So close. Flagon's group was so close but she could see the gleam in the titan's eyes as it reached clumsily for her.

Aria dived onto the floor, rolling a bit before stopping and flattening herself much as she could. Luckily, it narrowly missed, grazing the top of her head. It didn't hesitate to try again with its other hand. She stabbed a blade into its palm and pushed out with her legs to try and make as much wiggle-room as she could. The hand spasmed and flexed its grip, taking her along when it retracted its hand in annoyance. That split second of being airborne startled Aria, making her lose her grip and fall to the ground. Aria managed to absorb most of the impact and land safely, but her ribs, which already took a beating, were jostled along the way. Groaning, she forced herself to sit up whilst clutching her side painfully.

The titan landed with a thundering crash as it fell to the ground in a heap beside her, causing her to jump. She could feel her hairs stand on end at the sheer proximity of its body. It expelled its final souring breath right into her face.

"Jesus." She wanted to gulp for air, but at the same time, not really. "About fucking time," Aria muttered, trying to calm her pounding heart as she watched Flagon slide his blades back into place. After a few moments of watching her struggle to remount, Sayram got off to help her up. Red-faced, she grumbled her thanks. She knew she looked ridiculous and they all just sat there and watched.

Once safe, adrenaline waning, she sobered. It wasn't like they could differentiate her blush from the blood anyway. Aria could feel the crust of Hiersh's blood, dried and flaking. It left her skin feeling taut and itchy. If she was in a better mindset, she would have noticed how the blood had seeped all the way down to her upper thighs. Aria was trying not to look at it, unlike her squad, who threw her obvious glances of concern.

"It's not mine," She said, trying to quell the questions she knew were bubbling up inside them.

"Yeah, well it very much could've been. You can't receive a wake-up call when you're dead, can you? We're in a team for a reason, goddamnit. Next time wait for backup," said Klaud angrily.

Aria straightened up in defense. "There was no time to wait. There were so many of them and so few of us, we had to buy them time. I also had Squad Leader Flagon with me. It was fine."

"Maybe this time it was. How many times are you going to recklessly charge out there? You're not all that and you know it."

"What, so next time I'll just wait for you to arrive? I did what I thought was best."

Others began to look over as it switched from feverish whispers to raised voices.

"And the 'best' thing to do was to disobey the squad leader in charge and take things into your own hands?" countered Klaud.

Mike looked at her and for a second she thought she saw disappointment. At that, Aria looked away, feeling conflicted for effectively stopping the abnormal in its path of carnage and taking for granted the trust Mike placed in her. They were taught that in a pinch, the best thing to do was to trust your superiors' decisions and trust that your fellow soldiers would follow do the same. That way, a team can function in unison. It was a basic principle instilled in trainees back at boot camp.

Flagon was a stubborn arrogant hot-head, but he was a capable leader worthy of his rank. There was no knowing how things would have turned out if Aria had turned back after delivering the message as ordered, but she felt that her decision to stay was the right one. Her face twitched in the embarrassment of being schooled like a child in front of others.

The ride back passed in a blink of an eye. A sluggish blink. By the time everyone who needed to be treated was seen, the sun had completely sunk and dinner was over. It usually doesn't last long the first night out because no one had an appetite anyway. She thanked one of Hanji's men after being wrapped up and cleaned before heading over to the canteen.

Unlike their headquarters behind Maria, this one was older and emptier. Instead of the benches they usually sat on to eat, there was a large, open space in the center where everyone settled in. The bread was bland and the porridge even more tasteless. Stomachs to work properly before and after expeditions. That was just the way things were. Aria's tongue felt like sandpaper. Regardless, she finished her share.

After having cleaned up, she situated herself next to Lynne and Klaud on a large, broken but sturdy slab of granite. Most of the stone fortress was crumbling and not in good condition, but served its purpose for a safe night's rest. Aria resolved the little spat with her brother after he admitted that he got carried away. She wasn't all in the right either and they made their peace. It was that and Mike also scheduled them for a forced joint practice session to erase any more hard feelings.

Lynne questioned about Aria's ribs briefly, but the younger Richter waved the concern away amicably. It wasn't long before they settled into comfortable silence, drowning out the low hum chatter. Aria was momentarily distracted by the jubilant voice of Hanji greeting the underground trio and forcibly inserting herself between them. The whole room not-so-discreetly watched as she interacted with them in ease-which was something no one has been able to or tried to do before.

Aria noted how Ackerman and Church noticeably tensed and exchanged shifty looks. Yup. Something was up with them. Everything about them screamed fish. But today gave her enough to mull over. She didn't want to think about it or about anything for that matter. Aria grew drowsy under the warm light cast by the torches that lined the walls. Before she knew it, Aria was knocked out cold, mouth ajar and drooling against Lynne's shoulders. The older woman humored the younger Richter for a few moments before nudging Aria over so that the girl was forced to flop unceremoniously onto Klaud's side.

"Take care of this little one for me tonight, will you?" Lynne called out as she turned in for the night.

Klaud snorted, "You don't have to tell me that."

Unbeknownst to Aria, they already discussed amongst each other how she was doing.

" _She's a tough one, that one." Gelgar leaned against the wall and took a sip out of his flask which housed something that smelled suspiciously like alcohol._

" _She was covered in blood," Lynne surmised. "I heard it was from that Heirsh boy she trained."_

" _Frey from one of the outer squads told me it was an enormous aberrant that led a bunch of little ones straight to the legion," said Klaud._

" _Sina. They can't be getting smarter...can they?" Gelgar said, raking his fingers through his hair in disbelief._

 _Nanaba listened quietly for a few moments before wordlessly exiting the room, probably in search of the younger Richter._

Klaud didn't know what they talked about but he could only guess it did some Aria good because she walked into the canteen that night noticeably less stressed. Klaud wasn't stupid. Aria had been increasingly seeking the man's companionship over his- her own brother. He wasn't going to lie either. It made him a jealous, but he understood her preference for friendship love over brotherly love. Klaud also liked Nanaba and the effect his influence over Aria, so he conceded his position as best mate to the blonde. It was a change he needed getting used to.

That was not as if to say he lost his sister completely. Klaud still enjoyed the little moments he had with his baby sister. Just like he was enjoying her company now, even though currently, she was in a state of blissful unawareness. It scared him to know how close of a brush with death she had today. If Flagon's group turned up a fraction of a second later, they would have a different situation at hand. He could drive himself crazy with the what-ifs. Klaud sighed and ruffled her hair before proceeding to bring her back to the barracks.

* * *

If there was a word for how she was feeling, it was pure and utter exhaustion. For the second time that week, she found herself fighting for her life. Everyone thought knew what they signed up for when joining the Survey Corps, but there was only so much you could prepare for something of this nature. Thick, dark clouds rolled in out of the blue, casting a slew of heavy rain and cutting wind upon them. Thick fog permeated the vicinity, cutting their visibility off in mere seconds.

It was only hours ago that they were on their way back towards Maria after having wrapped up some field work when they decided to implement Erwin's new strategy. When they revealed the whole plan, Aria had never heard of anything so promising and was eager to test it out. Now, they were caught in what was one of the worst storms she had ever witnessed and didn't even get the chance to use a signal gun. The smoke dissipated almost immediately.

Thunder boomed from overhead, doing a good job of drowning out the occasional screams. She had no idea what was lurking around or which direction she was traveling in. Her team, an arm's length a second ago, disappeared behind the heavy mist surrounding them. Aria could hardly see five feet in front and it terrified her. It was frustrating being able to faintly pick up sounds of fighting but to not be able to locate a single thing. The roar of the wind and rain was overwhelming.

Hair was plastered to her face, drenched head to toe, Aria rode on. Her horse, not doing any better, kept slipping on the mud pouring out of the oversaturated ground. Her ribs began to pound with that familiar ache.

Aria could hardly hear her own voice as chaos swallowed it. Finally, it was as if Sina heard her prayers, Gelgar called to her from her right. They rode alongside each other, neck to neck, as to not get lost again. They began to notice horses on their sides and pieces of their riders not far away.

Aria spotted Nanaba struggling with three titans surrounding him and a second figure lying prone on the ground, motionless. At this point, she was hysterical. Nothing was right from the moment they left and watching her friend struggle helplessly against the beasts, herself too far away to intervene, was the tipping point. She only prayed that Sina would answer her prayers a second time. Nanaba didn't look like he could hold against them another second.

Aria jumped off her horse and expelled as much gas as she could to reach his side. Gelgar didn't miss a beat following behind. They were on autopilot. Hook, slash, repeat. Hook, slash, repeat. It wasn't until they felled the final titan did she realize squad leader Mike had joined them. He set two heavy hands on her shoulders, dodging as Aria stiffened and almost took his head off. It took two calls of her name to effectively rouse her back into sanity.

Aria yelled for Nanaba but there was no answer. Aria tumbled into the mud after unsteadily landing on a massive puddle that drenched her ankle deep in dirt and reached around aimlessly for her friend. Her fingers pushed against something hard. He was lying face down on the soft ground, sputtering under the downpour of rain.

She flipped him over in haste. _Come on, come on, come on. Please,_ Aria begged. Nanaba groaned in pain and coughed up mud after being pulled upright. Finally feeling as if she could breathe, she hoisted an arm over her shoulder and staggered upwards, trying to support his slumped figure the best she could.

Aria felt as if she could cry when Gelgar motion to her with the prone form of her brother over his shoulder. They were really lucky. The storm was already starting to wind down. It felt like the longest cloudburst of her life, but thankfully the rain let up almost as quickly as it came down. The sun's rays began to peek through the rapidly dispersing clouds.

It wasn't until later did she find out most of Flagon's squad perished in the hands of titans and among them, Isabel and Farlan. That's how Erwin and Mike's squad found the poor man. He kneeled amongst the bodies of his fallen comrades and was wrapped up in the oppressive steam of disintegrating titans that were hacked into pieces by none other than the Ackerman himself.

Aria was too exhausted to comprehend the events that followed. It had something to do some papers and someone named Nicholas Lobov. Her ribs, which now felt fractured, throbbed mercilessly before she succumbed to darkness, passing out on her horse. The last thing she saw was the crestfallen face of Levi Ackerman and thought, _That doesn't suit him._

* * *

Mike squad was suspended and off-duty due to the extensive injuries they all received. It would have been comical for someone to walk in on all of them occupying a sick bed in a tiny room if it hadn't been for the extent of their loss.

Gelgar and Thomas were discharged the same day later on that week, but Thomas came back after catching a bad cold almost immediately after. Gelgar tried to lighten the mood by boasting that it was all the wine that kept himself healthy, but even his chuckles were dry. Laughter was a sin these days. Some days Mike would visit, pulling up a chair and getting to work on his reports quietly, other days, Hanji.

Even after a couple weeks, the whole legion was still walking on eggshells around the Ackerman. People whispered noisily at how the man went about his duties normally. Despite not having his friends around, he didn't seem lost, but at the same time, appearances could be deceiving. Still, Aria thought it was best not to concern herself with him, especially considering the sour interactions they've had in the past.

It was an afternoon buzzing with chatter. Aria was hunting for a place to settle down and burrow into the increasing pile of papers Mike wanted her to get done. As if the horrendous weather outside wasn't enough to put a damper on her mood, every seating area in the damn castle seemed to be occupied by soldiers forced to stay indoors for the rest of the day. Every spot except _there_ , which she fervently tried to avoid if she could help it. She really didn't want to but didn't see another choice.

 _Screw it. What's the worst that could happen?_ Aria thought before plopping her things down on the bench opposite to the Ackerman, but on the edge as to put some distance at the same time. Everyone gave the man a wide berth, allowing him to have the whole table to himself, and it didn't pose a problem to Aria until today. The Ackerman was still the highlight of not-so-quiet gossipping done by others when they thought he couldn't hear.

No one moved or spoke as Aria cracked open a manila folder and began sorting through her own papers. Of course, she didn't miss the death glare the man threw at her when she invaded his table, but she chose to ignore it.

 _Maybe that will give them something else to talk about_ , she thought offhandedly. She was tired of listening to others talk about him. It made it harder to escape his presence and this mildly grated her nerves.

 _Now to get through these…_

* * *

That month, the rain hadn't let down for stretches of the day on end. After a while, she gave up trying to look for places to sit and settled for the convenience of "his" table. After several attempts, the Ackerman finally gave up trying to glare her away. She'd admit, sometimes she wondered why she put up with it, but it wasn't all that bad. Glares, she could deal with.

Aria could almost forget he was there and immerse herself in the task at hand. On the few days she did this, they were able to work silently into the late hours, both trying to keep themselves busy and taking advantage of the night to do so. On nights she felt particularly brave, Aria would ask if he wanted something to drink when she left to go to the kitchen, but he never gave a reply or even acknowledged her. Aria paid no mind since they weren't exactly on friendly terms and she _was_ encroaching on his space.

* * *

"Where on Earth do you even find a space to work?" Gelgar grumbled as they slowly made their way squeezing past the shuffling cadets loitering around in the hallways. Chairs were a deficit everywhere in the castle, although footstools and ladders did the trick as well. "There has to be something better than using the walls," said Gelgar.

Aria laughed, "I have a little secret spot that I don't mind sharing with you, but I'm not so sure the other guy would agree."

Gelgar's confusion vanished after realizing which table they were heading to.

"Aw, what the hell," He whispered. "Really? Here?"

She shrugged and replied, "It's here or the walls."

He gave the bench a longing stare before sighing and settling down. As expected, the Ackerman threw his sharpened gaze over at the two suspiciously before continuing to ignore them.

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Nanaba asked. "I don't have time for another one of your 'breaks', Gelgar."

"You'll thank me later," the pompadoured man said, smirking evilly.

* * *

Aria blinked, trying to take in what was in front of her.

"Get out of my seat," she ordered and threw her rubber-banded pile of papers in front of Nanaba and Gelgar. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We got shit to do too and we got here first," said Gelgar as he shrugged. "Plus, there's plenty of room over there." He pointed to the remaining spots on the bench.

"But you're going to be a bother," said Aria, trying to shoo the men off. "And you're stealing my space."

She was silenced by a particularly piercing stare by the man occupying the other side. _Oh, right._ Aria sheepishly made her way over to an open spot on the bench and wordlessly began spreading out her documents as Gelgar heartily laughed.

* * *

"Pass me that stamp, Mike?" Hanji reached over Klaud's paper to the other squad leader.

"Oi, squad leader Hanji, please stop doing that," the older Richter tried to swat the offending appendage away. "You're gonna mess me up. Look! It smudged!"

"Stop complaining. I need it too," said Lynne as she snatched the rubber band out of Aria's hands before the younger Richter had a chance to shoot Gelgar with it. "Focus. You signed in the wrong space here."

Aria groaned and got up, looking for a chance to stretch her legs. "I'm thirsty. Anyone want some tea?" She counted seven of them, then looked at the Ackerman who has been forced to sit in a progressively decreasing distance away from their growing group. _Eight it is._

It was when Lynne was collecting the cups back towards the night, did Aria notice the Ackerman had not touched his cup.

* * *

Hanji was on the hunt for the younger Richter in the training grounds.

"Aaaarrrriiiiiiiaaaaa-pyon!" She yelled, grabbing the girl by the elbow and waving to Mike, alerting him of her kidnap. "So I heard that on the upcoming outing, Erwin is going to secretly conduct an experiment." Hanji wiggled her eyebrows.

Aria laughed at the woman's enthusiasm and adopted the same mischievous demeanor, smirking. "Now where did you hear this piece of supposedly secret information, Squad Leader Hanji?"

"Erwin," the said woman replied, innocently shrugging. "He's trying to see which team would be best to put little Levi in. Who do you think it'll be?"

"I think-" Aria thought for a second. "-Oh, I don't know. He doesn't work very well with others."

"He worked very well with Church and Magnolia," Hanji softly pointed out. " I guess we won't find out until the day itself. You would've thought he would have warmed up to at least us by now. Sadly, that's not the case."

"Would have thought, huh…" Aria dryly chuckled.

Just then, the subject of their gossip exited the stable behind them and threw them a furious glare. That was probably because he had heard everything. At the same time, maybe not. He had a knack for throwing glares left and right.

"Speak of the devil!" Hanji declared, unperturbed. "Same spot, same time tonight. Ya heard, short-stack?" she called out to his retreating back. The Ackerman stormed away before she even opened her mouth.

Aria stood there thoroughly amused. Hanji really was someone.

That night, Hanji really did come again and Aria had to reluctantly admit, the woman was a breath of fresh air. Noisy, refreshing air. Aria missed talking about everything and nothing at the same time and Hanji was the best person for that.

One person was definitely not enjoying the squad leader's presence. The Ackerman sat stiffly on the other side of the table. As the night grew darker, Hanji retreated back into her lab leaving Aria alone with the Ackerman again. He opened his mouth first.

"Why are you even fucking here?" He menacingly asked. He probably waited the entire time to speak. "You're not fucking helping me in any way. You feel sorry for bringing us-" he paused. "-me into this. Is that it?" He was picking straight up from the conversation he heard between Aria and Hanji earlier when the older woman mentioned his deceased friends.

So much for thinking he was finally going to be civil with her and engage in a normal conversation. Wait. When did she start wanting this asshole to talk?

"Hold on," Aria snapped, feelings her hackles being raised. "Who do you think you're talking to like that? I did nothing to suggest that. You're always snapping at others and acting like you're better than everyone else."

Aria growled, "You know, for a street rat, you're not as humble as I would have expected you to be."

The Ackerman stood up. "And you're any better? You think you and your annoying friends are doing me a fucking favor by sitting with me and talking so goddamn loud that I can't even hear myself think. I'm going to say it again so it gets through your thick skull. I don't need your pity." He punctuated every last word with deliberate malice.

"It's not pity and I'm certainly not going out of my way to do anything for _you_. I just thought-"

"That I'm still not to be trusted and that you have to keep an eye on me just in case I cause a disturbance?"

"No, I was going to say-"

"That after what happened, I want to take revenge on the people who forced us to join?"

"No! If you could just let me...wait, is that how you fe-"

"That you feel at fault for taking part in personally shackling us and bringing us into this death trap?"

"That Isabel and Farlan would feel more at ease if they knew their friend was not alone." She somberly finished.

The anger that Aria felt surge upon his accusations faded after every time he spoke. She could see that his fury and disappointment was directed more towards himself than anyone else, which if she gave it a bit more thought, would have realized that didn't surprise her. The Ackerman was a painfully independent man. He was the type to believe everything that happened was because he wasn't fast enough or that he single-handedly led them out of the Under and to their deaths.

Aria chose her words carefully. "You know, in a way, I guess you could put it like that. I do feel for you. We _all_ do because what happened was terrible, but you're not the only one who's lost people. Only you can move forward now and how you're going to handle this is going to prove me right or wrong, so don't let me see that face on you again. It's pathetic."

She didn't know how to handle people like him. She wasn't hoping for him to get all up in her face again or to be his usual asshole self, but it was better than seeing him mope around pretending like everything was okay.

"I don't want your pity," he reminded her. "I want you to fucking leave me alone."

She didn't have a bleeding heart, but knowing he was a man who just lost everything after starting off with practically nothing made her want to do the exact opposite of what he was proposing. Despite his furious face, he looked lonely and even a little bit confused.

She got up and left. It took her awhile to find her favorite bag of chamomile-herb infused tea. It soothed her nerves and helped her sleep easier. After brewing a batch, she poured two cups and walked back to set one in front of the Ackerman, who seemed surprised when she reentered the hall.

"Look, I'm-" She mentally groaned. "-sorry that I called you a street rat. I know you're not as bad as you make yourself out to be. If you want to think about it another way, I'm doing this for me as well. Leaving you alone doesn't sit well. Not with Hanji, or squad leader Mike, nor squad leader Erwin. So shut up and drink your tea." Aria crossed her arms and challenged him to respond.

He stared, blinking once before turning back to his papers, ignoring her and the tea. Aria grinned and saw this as a victory. Erwin had high hopes that the Ackerman would become an asset to the legion and Aria had begun to think so as well. If only they could get him to his tippy toes, maybe things would take a turn for the better, especially since it was announced that Erwin would replace Shadis as Commander in a couple of days.

* * *

They were letting the horses and soldiers take a break after a long ride. Squad Leader Erwin had asked Shadis to switch the Ackerman among squads and allow himself do the observing from afar. When the time came for him to be placed in her squad, Aria noticed he got along fine with Nanaba and Lynne. Her talk with the man last night might or might not have contributed to that, but regardless, Aria was feeling pleased.

Currently doubled over, both hands splayed against a tree, Aria tried to even her breathing out. They haven't ridden for that long in a while and her ribs were starting to throb with a dull ache. Counting herself down to straighten up, Aria yelped in surprise and placed a hand over her heart to calm her thundering heart.

The raven-haired male wasn't next to her stroking the mane of his black stallion before. He gave her a look of distaste when he realized just how dirty she was. Aria thought it was her imagination, but today, his glare didn't seem as sharp as it was before.

"Shit. The day Levi Ackerman approaches another human being is the day pigs fly."

He didn't respond, but Aria didn't expect anything more. His intimidation tactics were growing old. He was getting easier and easier to read. It was like getting to know Nanaba again expect the person is hundred times more difficult and also, not Nanaba.

"What human?" he asked.

Aria choked on the water she was drinking and looked back in slight horror and curiosity. _Oh Sina, he told a joke._ She opened her mouth to bite back, thought about it again, and closed it. She didn't want to ruin whatever good mood he was in.

"You're good with him," She commented, ushering to his horse. "That one's a mean one." Aria recognized its distinct jet black coat. The color wasn't the only thing that set it apart from the others.

"He's a horse. Horses don't talk, or complain, or whine."

He spoke _again_ and to _her._ Aria dumbly nodded as he walked away without another word. She looked up briefly to make sure there were no airborne farm animals among the clouds.


	7. The New Plan

**Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud!**

* * *

The legion was settling into the headquarters near the ruins of Kanrou Village. It was another outing beyond the walls and just like most recent expeditions, this one was to be kept short and close by. Despite thriving under Erwin's new position as commander, much has been cut from the supplies and revenue directed towards the Survey Corps.

As always, squad leader Hanji was working on something she guaranteed would please the district representatives and council and gain them more support. There's always something more than what meets the eye with that woman. It didn't surprise Aria that Hanji would be able to concoct otherworldly ideas and still build upon logically so that even Erwin was wrapped around her finger.

"Think about it. What's the most obvious answer to when I ask you; What do titans resemble?" Hanji slid into the seat next to the Ackerman who occupied half a table himself. "Not only do they look like us, but what if we _are_ more alike than we thought?"

 _Half a table. That's progress,_ Aria thought as she followed the woman, setting her tray down next to Nanaba. The rest of Hanji and Mike's squad filled up the bench. After working together so often, the raven-haired man had long given up chasing them away with pointed looks. She would daresay he has even gotten used to having them around as well. The Ackerman didn't contribute any more than the occasional nod or comment but he was at least listening to their conversations.

It would be great if they had more support from the civilians. The legion was a scapegoat for their miseries and misfortunes. Their hatred fluctuated here and there and is based on trivial, short-lived problems of the current time. Aria didn't blame them for their misguided perspective of the corps. It was easier to forget your worries than to face them, especially when your worries involved five-meter cannibalistic humanoids. To them, the survey corps did nothing to personally improve their lives on the short run and they weren't receiving promising advances on the long run, so it made some sense for the people to feel the way they did. Still, that is no excuse for willingly preaching ignorance. If they could get more people to understand how different the future could be, then they could accomplish so much more.

The first step towards this would be to garner more support. The past few weeks dragged along. The legion was stationary and stagnant, making Aria feel useless. She was itching to do something.

"Is anyone listening?" Hanji cried, breaking Aria's train of thought as she stood up, arms flapping, beckoning for them to join in on the conversation. "Just think about it! These titans look like us, albeit a bit more deformed, but what if we view them more like ourselves and less like abominations? Imagine what we would learn..."

"Squad Leader, they're beasts and we're not...well not like _they_ are. They eat humans. If it was that easy, their kind would have been extinct a long time ago and our kind wouldn't have to be living like this," said Gelgar, guiding her hand away before she could knock his drink over.

"They're dumber than us, yet they dominate over us on the food chain. I don't think we can apply our rules to them. Food for thought, squad leader," commented Klaud.

"It's like reverse laws of the jungle. Opposite of what should happen in evolution. We're obviously missing something not so obvious here," Aria pointed out. "Remember how that enormous aberrant seemed to have led the little ones straight to us? I think I can see where you're trying to go with this, but I don't really see how you could test out human aspects like motive on primal creatures like them."

The said scientist's eyes gleamed at the challenge.

"They're not as evolved as us, but what if they're on the path to becoming like us? Was it a coincidence that the biggest, ugliest one of all was leading the pack? Kind of like how the stronger and more intelligent guide those less capable. Maybe that one was like that. That's more or less a natural order, right?" Lynne piped up in interest.

"So, in other words, they're like us." Levi humored her.

Hanji's eyes, now twinkling ferociously."Exactly. It's something to start thinking about."

"Civilians can't do anything against titans, so they lock themselves behind walls. They're not happy but do nothing to get themselves out of that situation cause they aren't capable. We, on the other hand, are capable of leading the fight they want but they don't trust us to take the reins," Aria said.

"Because apparently, all we do is go beyond the walls and get ourselves killed and waste their money. Titans haven't invaded the walls for centuries, so to them, there's no point for the legion to do what they do," added Klaud, pointing out with his fork for emphasis.

"But we need their support and what better way to get on their better side than to directly work with them? We need to start being more involved with the civilians and other military factions. It'll benefit the both of us. That's how we'll get revenue and support." Aria hinted knowingly, "With this money, squad leader Hanji, you'll get more chances to do your experiments..."

Hanji's face lit up with excitement and turned to their squad leader in glee. "Let's go to Erwin."

It felt good to finally be working on something after that long stretch of break time. Like _really_ good. Aria glanced over at Klaud with hopeful and waiting eyes. He was usually the one whom people regarded with more respect and as the better, more able-bodied twin. This time she was the one to propose a decent initial plan for the legion to take a step forward. After all this time, Aria would admit she still subconsciously looked to him for approval.

* * *

 **Thanks for still sticking with me. I hope I salvaged some of all the awesome things Hanji's character encompasses. I wanted to portray her as having always kinda known something fishy was going on with the human-titan relationship cause that's who she is. Uber smart and wacky.**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far!**

 **Oh! And thank you for your kind words Fanmanga28. It had me seal clapping in glee! I like to hear feedback!**


	8. Old Memories and Clashes Anew

Disclaimer: AOT doesn't belong to me!

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Erwin weighed the pros and cons and figured it was going to be time well spent on future investments. Hesitant to cooperate but not being able to procure any reason not to, the Military Police and Garrison forces reluctantly agreed. This hasn't been done many times in the past but as they all were a part of the military, it pleased the king to see unification amongst them. It further fed into his illusion of stability and control.

A couple squads were assigned to man the walls, refurbishing old cannons and defense bridges. Some ventured outside the walls to bring back healthier seeds and plants to replace old grains and produce better harvests. Others instructed training and academic classes to spread the corps love that the legion oh-so-needed.

Aria was hoping to be assigned with the Garrison so that she could get a chance to see Rico, but Squad Mike was assigned to the assist the MP patrol the streets. Aria hasn't had any contact with Rico since their trainee days. Regardless, she does continue to write to her takes comfort in knowing Rico at least read them, even if there wasn't always a response. Aria knew that her silver-haired friend rose up the ranks quickly, unsurprisingly, so Rico _was_ a busy woman.

Like the Survey Corps, Garrison soldiers weren't painted in the best light these days either. With not much defending to do, manning and drinking at the walls were frowned upon. Nonetheless, Aria knew her friend always takes her job seriously. Not the same can be said about Rico's comrade in arms though.

Aria could feel the arrogance the moment they were introduced to their MP partners. Erwin had a twisted sense of humor and thought it would be fun to put Levi with the police force, which was ironic in every way possible. Distaste radiated off the Ackerman who stood to her left. The MP half-assed showing them the ropes and the routes they were to be taking.

"Try not to freeze up for too long. Most troublemakers only carry knives and, occasionally, a gun." Their guide sniggered. "The insignia on your capes might induce more of a...what's the word... _response_ than usual. Try not to slow us down too much. We do take our profession seriously, you know." He coughed.

It was Aria's turn to give him a good, long stare. "Oh yes. Maria forbid we don't take it seriously. Some people just think it's okay to take the easy way out, though I can imagine how dangerous the streets of Sina can be."

"No, really though. What should we do when we come into contact with a criminal? I'm not sure if I can handle them," said Gelgar as he lazily scratched his chin.

"We help preserve peace _directly_ working amongst the people themselves, unlike a certain branch that goes gallivanting beyond the walls trying to accomplish the impossible. I'll tell you one thing we _don't_ do with criminals we come in contact with; Recruit them into our ranks," The redhead, Genevieve, said looking directly at the Ackerman. "Aren't you usually accompanied by that mouthy brat of a girl and tall, blond guy? Did the corps kill them too?"

"Good eye, Gene. I knew he looked familiar. This little shit has given us more trouble than he's worth. Give me three good reasons why I shouldn't take your damn head off right now," said another MP. He took a menacing step towards the Ackerman who didn't even bat an eye.

In an instant, everyone's hands flew the hilts of their blades. Nanaba and Aria, who stood closest to the Ackerman, closed the gap between the ex-con and MP.

"You better fix your faces and get the fuck out of ours if you know what's good for you," Genevieve snarled, making a grab at Aria's collars. The tiny auburnette unsheathed her blade a fraction, halting the woman's actions.

"We're not asking for any trouble. Let's all calm down, finish this patrol, and go our separate ways. We represent law and order, for Maria's sake. Can we just pull ourselves together for today and bitch all about it later tonight? " Lynne glared at everyone, giving her friends an exasperated look. Moments ticked by before hands dropped and blades tucked away. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, what are we looking at for today?" She asked.

Their leader begrudgingly answered, "Soldiers situated east of the HQ have been reporting an increased activity in thieving and fights breaking out involving innocent bystanders. Usually, criminals who are no-bodies are desperate and easy to get a hold of, but the fact that they have been recurring disturbances leads us to believe that these are planned and organized by a bigger man. Another source had hinted that they may be from the Underground. We are to do a recon and collect as much information as we can while they still believe they're under our radar."

"Even though we're trying to stay low, I don't think it's good to be out of uniform," Klaud said.

"They'd see us from a mile away. What do you think a recon is, boy?" Gene argued.

"We might need our maneuver gears though. They'll give us the upper hand against them. Plus, the capes do its job by hiding them."

"The green is like a beacon of light in the sea of whites and browns. We won't be doing any fighting today and if we do, you should be able to take them down in hand-to-hand or with a knife…unless you scouts have grown rusty since boot camp training," Gene mocked with an air of finality. Too bad scouts don't listen to anyone who wasn't blonde and didn't have a thick pair of brows sitting on their foreheads. Leave it up to Nanaba to win the argument. He had one of the two requirements.

"We could wear trainee coats instead. In that case, we could keep our gears and masquerade as trainees, who are less suspicious and easier evade," Nanaba suggested.

The MP looked at each other in resignation, probably hating that they're going to have to go with that because it was a solid idea but a scout proposed it. They split up into pairs, each scout partnered with an MP to guide them. Aria tugged on the patch with crossed-swords on her orange coat.

"It's not as nostalgic as I would've thought," She voiced her thoughts aloud.

Aria hated people like that and have grown rather defensive of the legion and being a scout. Similar to how much she hated the stigma that came with _her_ title, she knew there were bound to be soldiers in that faction who were earnest and worthy of _their_ title. Aria took a chance with her patrol partner. Being a hypocrite was not something she aimed to be. Who knew it would come and bite her in the ass later. The man, who had stayed silent pretty much all through their meeting, simply nodded in response.

He was a younger soldier, around Klaud's height, and had this clean air to him. It was as if he never had to get his hands dirty on anything or for anybody. As if to literally validate her assumptions, his hands were smooth of scars and callus. Aria glanced at her own dirty fingernails and prominent knuckles before frowning and tucking them into her pockets. She could feel the difference in status. Heroic protectors of the streets and savage, hot-headed killers. A terrible combination. Whoever suggested such a thing?

Instead of the princely blonde color, the man sported rusty red hair. That wasn't common around here. She wondered if it was natural. It looked all well kept and styled. Aria couldn't imagine worrying about how she looked on days spent beyond the walls. She should have taken advantage of being back and made a mental note to do a thorough scrubbing that night.

"It's natural and no, I didn't come from some exotic place. Born and raised in Shiganshina." He smirked when answering, "You were staring."

Aria paused, taken aback. "I have never seen a shade that vibrant is all. It's nice," She offered.

"Since we all began with such an unfitting debacle for soldiers, let's start again. I'm Rhesus Tolvan of the Military Police faction and thank you for agreeing to accommodate my team and me on this mission. I'm sure both sides will benefit from each other's presence."

"For someone who barely let a peep out just before, you're a pretty chatty guy," Aria joked, ashamed of being ready for the man to start something.

He smiled. "What can I say? Confrontations make me nervous."

"I respect that." Aria nodded and held out her hand. "Aria Richter. I hope it'll be a pleasure working with you, just like you mentioned."

He was smart. Opening his mouth at any point prior to their meeting would have automatically established which side he was on. By waiting and observing, he could carefully choose his actions after. Too bad Aria didn't have that kind of patience when it came to people Genevieve.

Rhesus innocently inquired about what they did outside the walls and how it was like. He was as good of a listener as he was a talker. Rhesus also opened up fairly quickly. Aria didn't know if it was just another ploy to get her to slander the legion, but he seemed far from conniving.

"I'm not going to lie. Before I knew I graduated among the top ten, I did have a phase where I was hell-bent on joining the Survey Corps. It was seen as more as brave, back then, than stupid, as it is now," Rhesus said as he watched three men get off a wagon full of covered boxes and swap shifts with the next workers.

"I guess that's the problem now, isn't it? We could always use more people and you're not too bad yourself." Aria silently brought his attention to the suspicious new guards eyeing the luggage as if it were a piece of meat. "As a person, I meant," she added.

Before Rhesus could respond, a certain Ackerman popped out from the shadows. "With all that talking, are you even doing your jobs?" he asked.

"I hate it. I hate it when you do that," Aria groaned.

"Maybe if you would shut up and focus, then you would hear me approaching," The raven-haired man snapped back. Rhesus received one of his infamous stink eyes.

"Oh Maria, when did you start telling me how to do my job?" Aria inched away from the Ackerman when his eyes narrowed further. There was only so much room in an alley for the three of them to crouch behind trash cans.

"When you started to giggle loudly with mister police over here," the Ackerman swiftly replied. "You could've attracted unwanted attention and blew it for all of us."

"I wasn't giggling. I was laughing. You should try it sometime." Aria jokingly draped an arm around the Ackerman, reaching out to highlight the imaginary sea of wisdom he was missing out on. "And creating amicable relations with whomever we're working with will be to our benefit." She withdrew the limb shortly after feeling him tense up. "Speaking of which, did already kill your guy or something?"

Levi Ackerman scoffed, "As if. He didn't want to work with the 'likes of me'."

The MP was surely headfirst in a garbage can right now. Aria quietly laughed in amusement. It didn't take long to figure out which buttons not to push with the Ackerman and the MP probably realized early on as well. The man hated dirty things and references to his old life. He was not so much ashamed of his past, as he valued maintaining privacy. Although, Aria had no explanation for the thing he had against dirt. The guy was just weird.

Rhesus watched curiously. _The_ Levi Ackerman getting along with others, and not just any other people, but soldiers were something he could have never imagined. Rhesus didn't think joining the military would change a man such as far gone as him. The Ackerman's reputation above and below ground was notorious and chilling. Here the said man was trading barbs with a fellow soldier. It was too good of a chance to pass up.

"Rhesus Tolvan," He introduced himself with a hand outstretched.

The Ackerman merely regarded the offending appendage with disinterest before nodding and saying, "Your lot is already familiar with me."

"They're moving. We should follow. Maybe we'll catch who they're working for," Aria suggested.

"Usually there's a middleman, and that's them. If the big guy really has something going for him, he's not gonna come out here into the open," the Ackerman argued.

"That makes sense. What do you think we should do?" she asked.

If the Ackerman was surprised, he didn't show it. Aria didn't think it was so odd for her to ask him about their next course of action seeing that he was the renowned leader of the underground trio and had more information on the way criminals act than she and Rhesus did combined.

"Let the others know who to keep an eye on. I saw these guys talking to the residents of that building over there before. Send someone to investigate and some to tail these wagons." The Ackerman continued, "Tolvan, you seem to be good with your words. Talk to some of the merchants out there. The ones who are set up here every day should have some things to say." Aria got ready to shoot at the roof but he stopped her. "You should refrain from using the gears here. They'll notice."

"It's gonna take me longer to find the others then," she warned.

He nodded as she started back into the alley. After a while, he lost sight of the Tolvan boy. A fight broke out near the edge of the market. Levi spotted Tolvan with that Gene-bitch. They were idiotically trying to stop the wagon from leaving the square but kicking up a scene while they were at it.

Knife-wielding thugs came out from their hiding spots. So much for keeping a low profile. It was a mosh pit full of careening bodies, wild punches, and violent clashes from both sides. Other unsuspecting MP, who happened to be on patrol, rushed into the fold as well. They had their hands full with subduing the thugs while evacuating innocent civilians. It was almost funny to see mothers in extravagant gowns attempt to hoist their fat children up into their arms and husbands drop their canes in an attempt to scramble away with their peacock-headed women. Reality was oftentimes a harsh one.

The Ackerman began to snake in between backyards and damp alleyways in hopes of tailing one of the more suspicious looking ones. Levi was about to take the chance to tackle the man but paused when he saw the man descend into stairs Levi knew led into the Under. Levi followed without hesitation.


	9. Back Down Under

Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud!

* * *

After a couple steps, he took a breath. The disgusting, yet the familiar smell of old blood, mold, and dirty water filled his nose. He was never keen on the idea of helping the Military Police from the beginning, not after all the shit he's heard them say and do, and especially not after their initial meeting. This gang of thugs and their criminal mastermind or whatnot was of no real importance to him. This could be his chance to escape, but back to what? Life back down there? It wouldn't be the same anyways. Up here, he had something going for him. It's been awhile since he's had thoughts like this, but he supposed it was always lingering there on the back of his mind. It's not like he missed the dark shithole he used to call home, but he felt a compelling urge to go in one last time. The Ackerman stepped over the motionless bodies of the men guarding the lower platforms. More guards would soon realize and come to reinforce the exit soon. Levi turned right into the narrower streets.

He hooked onto the wall of the tower disappearing behind the giant tapestry and into a passage that led to the abandoned church. He kept his head low as he passed the pub he used to frequent. The words "Clover Pub" etched into its sign was buried underneath scribbles and the same grime that seemed to coat the surface of everything down here. The path took a sharp left, winding into the backways of where the crowds would amass to wager their money on who they thought was the better fighter. In a community that barely had anything going for it, entertainment and bloodshed naturally went hand in hand. His mind wandered to one of his last cage fights where Kenny had left him. It had left a bad taste in his mouth and before he knew it, he had stopped participating in the street brawls altogether.

In the corner of his eyes, he spotted the one he planned on following, skirt around the corner and disappear once again. Levi turned around and took his time climbing the wall that would lead him into his "neighborhood". He entered the enclosed square, ducking under the archway. Levi, Farlan, and Isabel were the unofficial leaders of this little area. There is no such thing as a hierarchy among common thieves, but the three had a reputation and people knew they lived up to it. There were certain things those that came and went didn't have to worry about while spending time here and in some ways, that meant it was "safe". At first, it was strange and unwanted attention, then it became somewhat a community. Once there were bards strumming away softly on their guitars singing of birds soaring free in the sky and of large, open fields of flowers of all kinds blossoming among the sea of green. Things the people down here have not, and will most likely never, seen. Some of the younger kids who sought refuge here would draw on the courtyard with little pieces of limestone broken off of the building steps. Older siblings of theirs would come back from a long day out and still find the energy to scold. Underground civilians, young and old, would lounge about smoking and playing cards. It wasn't altogether unpleasant.

Now it was deathly silent, not that most of the Underground wasn't already made up of ghost towns. He walked up the stairs up to the building where the three of them had lived. The door gave way as the latch weakly fell to the floor with a loud clang. Without a pause, Levi eased the door open. Light flooded the rooms once again. It was just as they left it that day. Isabel was going off about how cool they were going to be besting the guards and police and snatching the goods from right under their double-chins. Farlan had stayed up late the night before making sure things were just right and was going over the plan again that morning. Levi could see the ghost of their past selves; Isabel latched onto Farlan in glee and the said man struggling to push the jubilant child away, all while Levi sat on an armchair cleaning his blades, pretending to ignore them.

His feet led him to the corner of the room where he produced a crowbar and broke off a couple plywood. There sat a simple dagger with a black polished handle and a rounded clover organized into the orientation of a cross engraved on its hilt. He has had it with him since forever. Before Kenny and probably his mother as well, even though he had a hard time remembering those times. He closed the door soundlessly behind him and absentmindedly walked down the stairs while twirling and fiddling around with the familiar blade in his hand.

Levi heard the whirring of the gear before feeling the rush of wind and something careened into him. He folded under the weight and they went tumbling down the last few steps. Just when he thought he had graduated from wrestling on the dirty ground. The hood popped off the figure, revealing auburn hair which floated down and outlined a furious face.

"I knew it. I knew you were going to try and run the first chance you got." Aria snarled and pushed the hilt of her blade deeper into his neck. She ground her knees into his arms pinning him down. He sighed and quickly twisted under her to kick her off. Aria landed on her back, hard, and threw him another betrayed glare while propping herself up on her elbows.

"Just when I thought things were getting better and you were starting to warm up to everything and that we could trust you, you go and do this!" She motioned to their surroundings.

"First, I have never let anyone of you down yet, have I? I was not doing anything wrong behind your backs, therefore, I never misled you"

"But-"

"Second, don't assume you know me and why I'm here. I'm not obliged to explain anything to you."

"I didn-"

"Yes, you did. Third, when we get back up, you're gonna fucking pay for throwing me down the fucking stairs, you stupid bitch."

"I finally caught up to you and the first thing I thought of was-" Aria stopped patting the dirt off her uniform. "Up...?" She studied him suspiciously, "You're not going to run away again?"

The Ackerman scoffed. "There is no 'again'. I wasn't running away."

"Then why did you come down here and without telling anyone?" She asked with a creeping feeling of guilt.

"I said I don't have to explain myself to you," he replied. "Much less to a hypocrite. You know, I didn't believe it either even when you defended us against Flagon."

Aria swallowed her pride and nodded, "If what you're saying is true, then I owe you an apology, but honestly if you were in my shoes, would you have thought so differently?"

He gave her a long stare before turning away without a response.

"Okay, fine. Let me apologize in advance then, just in case I'm wrong. I didn't mean what I said when I thought you wanted to run away all this time. In the moment, that was the only thing I could think of to explain your actions, so I apologize for doubting you. I know that you're trying and you have been more decent lately," she said as she trailed a safe distance behind. He faltered in annoyance for a second before continuing to ignore the auburnette.

"I also apologize for thinking wrongly of you, especially since you've come a long way from your old, angry little self." The tension between them began to dissipate. The Ackerman spared her a briefly pointed glare. _I dare you to go on._

"And I'm sorry for tackling you onto the floor. I saw you leave the square, followed you, and thought you were going to leave us, which would have been really shitty of you to do. It's your fault for being so damn suspicious all the time."

Suddenly he roughly pushed her against the wall. Her eyes widened, "I was kidding, I was kidding! It was just a joke-" He covered her mouth with the palm of his hand and slid up against the wall next to her. Aria was about to yank his arm away and demand for answers but the noticed a soldier hurriedly dash from across the opening of the backroad.

She was about to step out to follow when he pulled her back firmly again. The second soldier ran right past them and would've slammed right into her if she took another step.

"Hurry up! Kenny's gonna be so mad. I told you there were some still hiding!" The first soldier sped up, leaving the other one scrambling to catch up. Aria could feel the Ackerman's heart thudding from behind looked up to him in alarm. Those men were from the group of MP with them before. At first, she assumed they caught up and followed them but they didn't seem to be in a rush to catch the men that fled down here. In fact, they seemed to be doing the opposite: looking for someone.

Levi narrowed his eyes before slinking back onto the main road, blending in with the civilians to pursue the men. Aria hurried to follow but was pushed back by two men bustling by. She squeezed between them, momentarily breaking through, spotting the Ackerman little ways ahead. By the time she was frustratingly cut off by the cart, she had lost the raven-haired male to the twists and turns of the labyrinth that was the Underground.

Aria checked one more possible backroad that he could have taken before stepping back to assess their situation. She was lost, but it didn't take much to get back up, especially since she had her gear on her, but that defeated the point since they made so much noise and she had already lost the others. She knew the Ackerman could deal with whatever the men were doing down here, but this time she would trust him to regroup back with them. There wasn't anything she could do to help now.

Aria threw the now-useless cloak aside and hooked onto the roof of the building. Instantly, she spotted the stairs leading above ground. Aria was a second too late in recognizing the sound of another gear. A small blade shot out trying to nick her wires. She twisted violently to avoid a groping hand and ended up crashing into a wall. The measly walls gave way as she fell into the empty structure itself. A man squealed in horror and fled the room. As the dust and debris settled, she could barely make out a tall, brooding figure step through the hole.


	10. Making Ends Meet

**Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud!**

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Aria rushed to unsheathe her blade as the man rushed towards her. Up close, she could smell his stale breath through every low chuckle emitted through his nostrils. All Aria could make out were his beady eyes filled with anticipation of a violent altercation and a scraggly unkempt goatee. Immediately, she was on the defense, parring every swing of the well-executed cut with her long blades. She was at a disadvantage since their weight and lengths slowed her down. Discarding them, she bent down to kick his feet out from under him, but he pushed his palms out, catching her at her nose and swiftly brought a fist onto her. Aria felt her lip split and returned an elbow into his neck. She latched onto his arm from under him and pulled it into a painful angle, causing him to drop his blade. Aria took this as an opening to reach for the blade, but his leg shot out and kicked it away. He took his time slammed her head down and twisting her arms behind her to render her immobile. She was left staring longingly and bitterly at the dagger, the only weapon between the two.

It was a curious little knife that had a symbol she did not recognize etched onto its hilt. It seemed to exert lethality. She grunted in pain as the main shifted to using his feet to subdue her so that he could use a hand to reach for the blade and holster it once more.

"Pretty thang, isn't she? Runs in the family," His voice was like hissing and groaning of a gear almost to its limit, signaling it's time up. "Now you're gonna tell me about that boy you were with and what someone like you are doing down here. Do jus' that and nothing but your pride will get hurt," He chuckled at his own wit, "Dressed like a soldier, looks like a soldier. What branch are ya from?"

She didn't know who this man was to the Ackerman. He could be harboring an old grudge or intends to use something as leverage against him, which would pose a problem since Erwin broke about ten rules recruiting him. Being a soldier tied them to many restrictions and expectations, many of which the Ackerman, being who he was and is, probably overstepped already.

She also would've banked on this man being a nobody, but he was a good fighter. Too good to be a common thief, much like the Ackerman was. Aria wondered how many others down here were expert killers.

"Survey Corps," Aria hesitantly replied when she saw that he wasn't going to budge the blade from her throat. There wasn't much he could divulge from knowing that. There wasn't much she would offer anyways. Much of the Ackerman still remained a mystery to them.

"The Corpse, they call it. Never pegged him as a fucking idiot," He drily laughed and released her. Aria rolled over, gulping in the much-needed air now that the weight was off her chest. She fingered her own blade, eyeing the man suspiciously. That couldn't be all this lunatic wanted. Purposely singling her out and submitting her to him. All that just to know how the Ackerman was presumably doing. Aria had a feeling he spotted them together from way before and decided to tail her after they split.

"What about those friends of his? They still around as well?" He sighed and relaxed against the wall, regarding her with slight interest. If he knew of Isabel and Farlan then he definitely went way back with the Ackerman. He didn't seem like an old pal interested in reuniting.

"They're not," Aria regarded the man's sinister, lopsided grin with unease. She wished she could exert her authority as a soldier and lock him up, but it was the Underground. They might as well take half of the population down here if that was the case. Nonetheless, she knew he could take her down in a heartbeat. She could tell he's worn blood before. They were also partnered with the MP and if it somehow did make a difference, it would reflect badly on them and their relationship would worsen even more. Aria hoped the Ackerman did nothing unnecessary down here either.

"Dead? Why am I not surprised. He's alone now again then, eh? Seems to do the best when it is that way. Death is inevitable anyway. Comes to all of us eventually and when that time comes, I will welcome it with open arms," The man motioned the air with a fake hug and cackled as if it was the funniest thing, "You've dodged that certain end today. Thank you for your time, little lady. I should get going. Maybe I'll get to see him again." He smirked.

Aria laid there, waited moments after he waltzed out the door just to make sure he was truly gone. The vibes she was getting from him were raw and overwhelmingly dangerous. She took a deep breath trying to blow out the nerves and shakily got to her feet. Before she knew it, she was above ground again. The chaos in the square had winded down. There were only a few busybodies still milling around when Aria found the group. Two men were on their knees, hands shackled behind their backs.

As she approached, she noticed that they were from the group of M.P. that they were assigned to work with this morning. Klaud grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, "Where were you? We thought you and Levi went down to go after one of the guys."

She hissed in pain, "Get off of me. I got a little side-tracked is all." Aria glanced at the Ackerman before catching a glimpse of the blade he was fingering in his palms. Before she could get a closer look, the raven-haired man tucked it away.

"Side-tracked? You're pale, you look like a mess and your lip's busted and leaking," Klaud gave her a knowing look.

Aria swiped at her mouth and chin, wincing, and wiping off some of the crust before nodding over to the MP, "What's going on here?"

"Seems like the MP's got a couple of soldiers who are in cahoots with the rich drug-lords and human trafficking mobsters of the Underground. They've been selling government information and working with the criminals to gain profit in it all. Ackerman cornered them after they escaped below," Gelgar responded.

Genevieve, who up until now looked at her former friends in shock and denial, spoke up, "H-hey, now look. That's not fair. The people I know and work with, they would have n-never done anything like that. They don't represent all of the MP."

"They don't, so don't assume all scouts are who you think they are and represent. Don't question our soldier's motives for serving the legion and don't bitch about being more righteous than the rest of us, cause from what I've deduced today, Ackerman showed more loyalty to us than your men has to you. Worry about your own before coming at us. Clearly, you've got things to hash out with your 'friends'."

Aria's jaw dropped as Lynne sized up the blonde one last time and walked away. She could tell the rest of her squad, the Ackerman included, was just as surprised. Usually, Lynne was the peacekeeping mother hen. Lynnee takes it upon herself to keep those like Aria and Gelgar in check. Aria couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter at the turn of events and grinned before turning around herself. She could hear footsteps stomping up behind them. Genevieve grabbed the back of Lynne's collar and spun her around. Red blotches littered her livid face.

"Take it back," She seethed, "That was wrong of you to say, so take it back!"

Lynne merely regarded her with noticeable annoyance before yanking on the blonde's voluptuous ponytail, rearing her fist back, and delivering a swift crack to the woman's face. "Wake the fuck up and get your head out of your ass. I said _nothing_ that wasn't the truth."

Aria's eyebrows shot to her hairline and her grin widened. Next thing she knew, the MP was all over the scouts and they fought dirty. Hair was pulled, shirts ripped, faces clawed, jugulars jabbed, and ribs were slammed. She wasn't going to lie; Aria was itching to fight those uppity lil' bitches and they were asking for it from the start. It took Rhesus, Nanaba, and Levi a couple tries to disentangle everyone and separate the two branches.

That night, they experienced the rare event of Mike full-on yelling at them for their lack of professionalism. Aria wished she could say she regretted disappointing her squad leader, but every bit of it was worth it. Although they probably created an even worse reputation for themselves among the MP, which was the opposite of what they were going for.

"We were working on creating more amicable relations with the MP and you go and do this. My own squad. What did you think your job was to do?! Take out a couple teeth from your guide soldiers? They were nice enough to cooperate with us on this and attempt to establish a relationship amongst all military factions once more, but you go and do this," Mike huffed in annoyance.

They were all lined up in front of his desk, eyes forward, arms behind their backs. Reporting to squad leader Mike was the priority, so most of them were still stained with dirt, scratches, and bruises from the scuffle.

"I expected my squad, some of the most elite soldiers in the legion, to have handled this mission with relative ease. Instead, Erwin is now dealing with the serious consequences of your childish actions because you did not want to think before acting. What do you have to say for yourselves?" He glared.

It was quiet for a moment before Lynne admitted, "I started it, sir."

Mike looked up in surprise and confusion.

"I said some things that might not have been agreeable to them and it prompted the fight. I threw the first punch," she finished.

"Actually, they started mouthing first. One of their soldiers displayed aggression first with Levi, Aria, and Lynne, sir," Klaud intervened.

"Aria and Gelgar, I expect."

Aria balked at this but then nodded in sheepish acceptance. She heard Levi scoff on the side prompting Gelgar to throw him a dirty look.

"Ackerman, I also thought you'd have more control, seeing that those soldiers were not the type to get a rise out of you in the past."

It was Aria and Gelgar's turn to snort in amusement.

"But you, Lynne, and even Nanaba?" He shook his head in disappointment, "That's a first." Mike sat down without glancing up at them again. "I guess there's a first for everything. Except, I expect this to be the first and only time you display such childishness. Get patched up, finish writing your reports, and do laps until you drop before dinner. After that, stable duty until the end of next month. You're dismissed."

They saluted and left the room. They walked in silence as they headed over to the medic's camp.

"We got off easy," Nanaba commented.

"You thought so too?" Klaud asked. They continued in silence once more. "I would say today was executed wonderfully. Hilarious. We should do it again sometime."

Klaud was left to run alone that night.


	11. Familiar Faces

Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud!

* * *

"Remember this?" Aria laughed unfurling a roll of parchment revealing crude diagrams and drawings of plants, "This has to be yours. I can draw better than that."

"Eli always mine were more detailed anyways. With the way you proportion things, you're gonna end up killing someone one day," Klaud said in frank denial.

"Gonna slip you something tonight. We'll see about killing someone," grumbled the younger sibling. Eli used to spend more time with Klaud since he was older at the time and picked things up easier. She loved learning about herbs and doing the actual foraging, but when it came to getting down and mechanically sprinkling the tips of this in and grinding a bit of that in, she was stumped.

They were rummaging through their old belongings stored in one of the free rooms down in the cellar. The HQ was big but slowly and surely, more cadets were joining the legion again. It was more than they've had in a long time. Squad leader Mike let them have the rest of the day off after having stalked up and down half of Wall Maria helping the Garrison earlier on that morning.

Aria slid off the binds that kept a couple dirtied envelopes off. Having no recollection of what these were, she opened one curiously and began to read, " _Dear older sister, I know-_ " She closed it without another thought and put it in the garbage pile. Aria felt no remorse, only an already dwindling spark of curiosity. They didn't have anything to do with her or Klaud anymore and she was fine with it that way. She didn't say anything when Klaud suspiciously reached over and took them. After a couple short moments, he wordlessly dumped it back in with the other rubbish.

"Ignorance isn't always bliss, you know," Nanaba commented.

Aria ignored him. "I'm definitely going to keep this though. It'll come in handy." She wiggled her hand-written encyclopedia up at Klaud and tucked it away safely. She was thinking about sitting down with Hanji or Mobilt and sorting out what could possibly be helpful for the Medic's Division. Aria thought that in another world, she'd be a part of that branch of the legion, but it didn't sit well with her if she didn't fight. In her head, being on the front lines makes her feel as if she making more of a difference whereas medics participate on the fields as well, but you didn't exactly have the same control.

"Real mature." The blonde elbowed her head but left it alone.

She peered up at him from her spot on the floor. "Are those from your girls?" She asked. He was sifting through a small bundle of letters which were, from what she could see through from below, were long and detailed. She knew he thought about his younger sisters fairly often. The family he left behind wasn't the greatest either, his father in particular. That was something they both had in common. With both his sisters being younger, it left them vulnerable when the only capable shoulder they could lean on left the house. Nonetheless, she knew his mother encouraged Nanaba to be selfish for once and get away from everything. Aria thought that it was a risky trade-off so unlike Nanaba to take, joining the military to be in the dark about his family, but she figured she wouldn't pry or ask.

She only accompanied him back twice in the time that they knew each other and Aria still didn't know the details but she knew he was secretly a mama's boy and the girls absolutely adored their older brother. The girls were carbon copies, with pale blonde hair cut short and crystal blue eyes lit with wisdom achieved too early for someone their age. The feeling of guilt he must have for feeling like he abandoned his family wasn't something she understood personally but was able to empathize with.

"Maybe squad leader will let us go out to town later. We can go see Rico, or maybe even the others," Aria smiled knowingly at her quiet friend. It would be nice to see Eli again as well. Flipping through her old belongings made her realize how much she missed the old man. Just then, Tomas opened the door looking haggard.

"Hey!" Lynne greeted in surprise, being closest to the door. "Back so soon?" She asked the man.

Tomas was away on an excused leave of absence. It usually had something to do with his only daughter, Laylie. She was a fragile little girl who was born with an unfortunate set of complications. Every so often something urgent would arise and he would be granted a trip back, but only because his house was so conveniently close to the headquarters in behind Maria. Being a scout, Tomas had to keep it short and tend to the sole problem he was allowed to leave for. At first, Aria expected the worst after observing his exhausted, quiet demeanor, but then he gave them a tired smile.

"She's alright now. Just had a little trouble overcoming a bad cold with her lungs is all. My wife hadn't slept in days. I had to go back and take over before she got sick as well." He nodded to the rest of them, "It was hard. It felt like I was taking a chance every time baby girl laid down to sleep."

"Sound like you did well." Klaud clasped Tomas' shoulders reassuringly, "Maybe you need some _real_ time off. We're going to town, you should take the rest of the afternoon off, catch up on some well-deserved sleep, and then join us later."

"I'd rather not…" He started to protest. "I was already gone for so long and doesn't feel right not training." Tomas waved their worried faces away.

"You look like shit, man. We can grab a drink later if you want, but I'm sure your family would want for you to get better too." Gelgar pointed out. He turned the man around and started to march him up the stairs and to the sleeping quarters.

"It's good to have you back, Tomas. We'll see you in a little bit." Aria waved and gave him a thumbs up.

They finished up training without their goateed friend and headed into town after that. They approached the wall as many Garrison were finishing up and leaving for the day. The sun painted the walls blood red, letting them know that nightfall was approaching and fast. They waved at a couple of familiar faces. The Garrison, unsurprisingly, was a lot easier to get along with. Coming to the wall with the intention of finding just one person made Aria unsure they were going to catch their friend before she retired for the day. They milled about asking a few others about her but no one had seen the silver-haired captain.

"This Rico Brzenska is a friend from your trainee days?" Lynne asked nonchalantly. Alex and Nanaba exchanged knowing glances. The team knew that she and Klaud's relationship was volatile, but a strong one nonetheless. Klaud seemed to be able to push the buttons that no one else does. Her reactions most likely weren't as innocent as she made them out to be and they met Lynne after joining the Legion, so the Klaud's past with Rico probably sparked something a little more than a curiosity with Lynne.

"Yeah. She could be a bit brutish, but once you get to know her, she's a real sweetheart." Klaud laughed, waiting for Aria and Nanaba to chime in, but the blonde only scoffed in amusement. Rico was definitely not a "sweetheart". That word didn't even come close to describing who she was and if she heard that, Klaud would be out for the rest of the night. "She's awesome. You should see her fight too. If she were in the Corps, she'd definitely be one of us. I think you'll like her," Klaud continued as if nothing was off.

Lynne's faced the other side of the wall so Aria couldn't tell what face was like, but she would bet her dinner that it didn't show interest or excitement.

"Sounds like a cool chick," Gelgar nodded, "Maybe I'll get to know her better at your funeral. Just keep digging, bud."

Klaud looked confused but dismissed the man.

 _That fool,_ Aria thought, _The one-time Gelgar is not drunk and has something meaningful to say, you wave him off._ "I can't watch this anymore." Aria laughed when Nanaba gave her a flat stare, "Let me know what happens after though!" She headed back down the wall thinking that it was going to faster if she searched for their friend alone. She walked over to where soldiers were bustling around waiting to report and leave, thinking maybe the commanding officer would know Rico. Aria stopped mid-jog after spotting a familiar person hunched over cleaning an old, almost broken down catapult machine. Less than half of the wall had tracks installed to transport supplies quicker and even less had the newer, remodeled cannons. That explained why he was covered in soot. The wall really needed new machinery.

"Ackerman!" She called out, "You're still here?"

He patted his hands and took out a handkerchief to wipe the grease off, "So are you."

"Nah, we finished this morning. You've been here since?" She looked over the edge, "It's getting late."

"Started in the afternoon," The Ackerman simply stated.

Usually, when she was looking out at _there_ , it was to locate incoming titans. She took this time to really gaze at the raw, unaltered land. It truly was beautiful; wide and peaceful. There was so much to see and explore, but they couldn't do so without the fear of being terrorized and eaten by titans. That's why most of them spent their lives cooped up behind these grimy walls. She swore the towering height of the wall combined with the only rapidly increasing population, heat, and smog was being trapped and built up. It was getting stuffier and grosser every year, but out there…

"Think about it. Our world stops at these walls and we're standing right at the end of it," Aria breathed as they stood at the edge. The rest of the world was right in front of them. Just one more step but as if an invisible wall extended above the walls and into the sky, they could only look through the glass at what could and should be theirs.

"Same stars here are there too." The Ackerman started to clean up. "We're not too lost. Erwin sees something we all don't."

Aria smiled and said nothing else. Any other time she would have taken the chance to tease him about the irony of what he just said, but the history behind Erwin and Levi's relationship wasn't the lightest of topics to poke at. She readjusted a loose bandage around her clavicle. The bruises from the mystery man were still healing and looked worse than they actually were. The bandages were more for the sake of hiding them rather than helping them heal.

"What actually happened down there?" He asked eyeing the green and purple stains. "And don't say some stupid shit like you fell," he added after a second.

She looked at the dagger he kept on him. The handle was barely sticking out of his belt, but she could still see something etched on top. "I've been meaning to ask you about it. I ran into someone...or more like he ran into me and he was asking about you… and them. Isabel and Church. And I know your blade looks just like every other knife, but I swear it had something on top too. Kind of like yours but I can't be too sure though."

"He asked about me…? What did he look like?" The Ackerman took out the knife and handed it to her after thinking carefully, "And this symbol. It had this?"

"It was too dark to tell so all I could say is that he was really tall." It was the only thing she could offer. Aside from his deep, coarse voice and the silhouette of an oddly sophisticated fedora on top of his head, which added to his height, she couldn't remember much about the man. "I also can't be too sure of the engraving but it wasn't anything I've seen before." She idly thumbed the symbol engraved on the hilt, "I told him you were in the Scouts. He seemed like he knew you from before and was checking up on you or something. You know, your life before joining the Scouts."

"He just let you go after that?" The Ackerman took the blade back.

Aria remembered how the man had oozed of murder and malice and nodded dumbly. "Yeah. That was it. I was surprised too."

"Count yourself lucky then," was all the Ackerman offered. He obviously recognized who she had described, but didn't divulge anything further. To be honest, she'd rather stay out. Aria had a feeling she wasn't supposed to be involved in the first place. Behind her, she heard an officer ask for the Ackerman's report for the day but before he could answer, Aria popped her head out from behind the man in surprise and glee upon hearing the familiar deep voice. She stashed the conversation away for another time and completely cleared her mind after seeing who spoke.

"Rico!" She rushed forward and threw her arms around her friend. She knew Rico hated to be touched in that manner but after not seeing her for so long, Aria couldn't help it. She missed her tart, poison-tongued roommate. She was starting to think they wouldn't come across her that day. "We were looking for you even though your hair…" Aria smirked, "So typical. You're too easy to miss."

Rico's face softened at her friend's lame attempt at making a joke. It wasn't even like it was the first time someone commented on how her odd hair color. Rico wasn't going to lie, it was a pleasant surprise and she found that she didn't hate the hug as much as she used to. Her fellow captains looked at them, mouths slightly agape. She fixed her glasses and threw them a pointed glare, patting her friend to let her know to let go.

She started to walk back with Aria trailing beside her. "Klaud misses you, you know. We all do. And I know you respond to his letters more than you do to mine and Nanaba's combined." She tried to wink but her friend brushed past her, purposely knocking into her shoulders.

"Holy shi- I coulda fell off the edge!"

"Good."

One of Rico's men guided her back sheepishly, whereas the Ackerman smirked and walked past, "I think I like this one."

Aria jogged to catch up to her friend who didn't slow her pace down at all. "I forgot! Rico, Levi Ackerman. Levi, this is my friend, Rico Brzenska." The two nodded at each other. Aria wanted to thank the man who helped her and get to know some of Rico's friends who now are more involved in her life. It turns out, she's closest with the higher-ranked captains, all of which are impressively skilled.

"We should have a good-natured match one day. Scouts against Garrisons," Elite force member Mitabi Jarnach said with a small smile.

"I'm sure that can be arranged one day. It could be something we can do to recruit some trainees into our factions," Aria agreed.

"You've represented the Survey Corps at the camp before, right?" Ian Dietrich, another elite team leader, asked. "I can't seem to exactly place your face."

"My brother and I do participate in those events every year or so. We've been going more often these days. The Corps needs more scouts." Aria smiled at her senior officer, "Maybe I'll see you later on this year, sir."

"Mitabi and I are there every year. It was nice to formally meet you this time." He nodded and left. They had reached the others above the main gates and split leaving Rico.

"Rico!" Klaud bounded happily over but was stopped short by her hand.

"That's enough. Your sister already did that and once today is one too many." She simply greeted Nanaba by nodding. "I don't exactly have time to socialize like you scouts. If you just came to say hi, then hello. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way now."She turned to walk down the stairs.

"Come on Rico, don't be like that. Let's catch up somewhere inside," Klaud followed only a few steps behind, "We can all grab dinner at the canteen or something. Show us around. You haven't even told us how you've been. It's been so long." Klaud doesn't plead but this was the closest he's got to it.

Aria had a feeling Rico was going to be like this, especially considering the time they've spent apart. She took a while warming up to, but this was a bit harsh. Even Aria was surprised. She figured Rico had made it the ultimate goal to clear her mind of past baggage, especially one that once held significance in her life but now no longer. A hard pill to swallow, but it was just like the Rico she knew. Rico wouldn't let their splitting of paths in life, and from possibly her only friends, burden her mind any more than it did in her heart. Well, clearly not her only friends _now_ , but after meeting a few of them, Aria knew it wasn't the same. She surrounded herself with like-minded people; stoic, straight-forward, and serious. Aria, Klaud, and Nanaba deviated from that norm Rico considered reality.

"You sure that's the friend you've been looking for? The cool one? Cause if you meant 'cool' as in literally, yeah, she seems like a cold bitch to her friends," Gelgar threw out there after them. "Maybe only Ackerman can get along with her," he added, hoping to get a rise out of their other short friend.

At this, Rico spun around and answered, "I don't have any friends." She gave him a quick but obvious assessment and turned back around after seemingly deeming him not worth her time. Gelgar looked offended and patted his hair self-consciously. Klaud grabbed her elbow but let go after she gave him a warning glare.

If it was one thing Aria learned about being friends with Rico was, was to not touch her so familiarly. Forms of affection make her uncomfortable so it was best to let her defrost before approaching in such a manner. Aria knew that back then, and possibly even now, Rico also had a push-pull, or if she daresay, love-hate relationship with Klaud. She had no idea why her brother seemed to invoke attention in that form, but he was probably the last person Rico was willing to open up and let into her life again. They probably wouldn't see each other again until they were sent to recruit trainees again and that probably made it ten times harder for her friend to forget.

Aria was about to step in but Nanaba stopped her with a slight ruffle to the head. _I got this,_ He seemed to say. Aria knew she was a bit too eager to see their friend again, which wouldn't go well with Rico. He lightly tapped Rico on the shoulder and waited patiently for her to glance at him at least once before nodding over to the canteen and taking the lead, not looking over to see if she was following. Sure enough, she sighed and wordlessly fell into step with the tall blonde.

"I guess we're going to eat together now? Can I excuse myself?" Gelgar hopefully asked, following the Ackerman who was turning to walk away.

"No way. This is my friend, guys. You're coming to meet her." Aria grabbed the two and started to pull them towards the canteen. Chatter has already filled the air. She hoped they could find a bench before dinner service was over.

"This woman doesn't seem too pleased to see you though. Maybe it's better to pay a visit to your old man?" Lynne commented. Gelgar always poked fun at how he thought Lynne had a plain face, which infuriated her to no ends because appearances were just not a topic talked about in the corps, where getting dirty after a day's work was a compliment and displayed good work ethic. But Aria thought when she showed her caring, less tense side, she looked rather beautiful. Not like the silent, cold-cut beauty, their silver-haired friend was, but a softer, more lax visage. Boy did Klaud have a choice to make. Lynne probably thought she was hurt by Rico's behavior and was trying to make her feel better, which she thought was sweet. Aria idly hoped that Klaud could solve whatever he had with these girls, some of her best friends, in the neatest way possible.

Dinner resumed with awkwardness and silence.

"She makes me want to get shit-faced drunk," Gelgar whispered to his team. Aria kicked him from beneath the table causing an obvious thud, not that it was interrupting any conversations anyways. Everyone ignored it, causing Gelgar to sigh in defeat and continue picking at his potatoes.

"So? How did you come to be promoted to a captain rank so fast? What did you do?" Aria prodded, breaking the silence.

"I kicked everyone's asses and the high-ups liked it," she blatantly replied.

"See?" Gelgar spoke up, "Ackerman over here would definitely get along with her, though I can't imagine there would be much talking…"

Rico looked at the man briefly with mild interest. Gelgar didn't exactly like the woman but at this, he felt a bit proud to have gotten a reaction out of her and felt the urge to continue, "Remember how the other day Aria did Sina knows what to the man before the whole M.P. fiasco, but he personally went after her in training the day after leaving her all banged up."

At this, Rico sharpened her gaze on the said man and then to Aria's bandages peeking out from her blouse. Another thud audibly sounded, this time from his left where Klaud sat. "Ah, I give up," Gelgar grumbled rubbing his bruised shins and went to go grab a drink. Aria exchanged uneasy glances with the Ackerman, remembering their conversation about the man in the Underground before she realized what that probably looked like to Rico and started protesting.

"It's from when we worked with the M.P. the other day," She said, switching in the topic. Rico raised her eyebrows but accepted the change in direction of conversation.

"Arrogant bunch aren't they." She sounded like she spoke with experience.

"Finally, something we can agree on. Let me tell you." Klaud perked up, "Lynne over here doesn't tolerate shit behavior, just like you, but on that day…" He laughed, "We had to let them know not to run their mouths. She threw the first punch and naturally, we all joined in after that. They had it coming for them, those idiots." He spoke while reminiscing about that day's glorious throw-down, oblivious to Rico's prolonged stare directed towards the mentioned woman.

"You fought...with the Military Police?" She deadpanned. "You're stupider than I thought."

Why did her brother have to be the dimmest dimwit to ever grace the Earth. Rico might not like the M.P. but she was a stickler for rules and definitely did not condone what they did that day, even less, she wouldn't try to understand their reasons with an open mind. And for him to bring up Lynne like that. That was the cherry on top. Aria covered her face. Lynne herself seemed just about done with him as well. Still, Aria had to thank her brother for the conversation lightened up after that. Rico was more curious about what they had been doing beyond the walls than Aria expected. It was good to put in perspective how not many, soldiers included, got to really experience what it's like beyond the walls.

She learned that Rico was really bent on changing the ways of the Garrison. It was hard to enforce that change if Commander Dot Pixis, a well known easy-going lad with a profound love for alcohol, did not adhere to the same standards. It was also easy to forget that the Garrison don't see many titans since there hasn't been heightened activity near the walls, much less a breach for the longest time. The soldiers don't exude that same sense of urgency and passion soldiers in the legion do, but Rico was trying to change that as well.

"We'll definitely hear from you sometime again?" Aria asked after they finished up. Her friend didn't confirm or deny.

"We'll take that as a 'yes' then," Klaud shrugged. Levi, Gelgar, Tomas, and Lynne left earlier to give them some space. They stood around silently for a couple moments before Nanaba spoke up.

"It was nice seeing you again. Really. And it's good to know that you're doing well." He nodded to her and started to head back himself as well.

"You guys as well," She responded in a stately matter.

Aria frowned when Klaud simply waved and gave her a little smile before turning around. "Fine, if it's going to be that way," she said, "I'm sure he's going to write to you soon anyway."

Rico huffed at the shorter girl in annoyance but didn't make any moves to retire back into her barracks. Aria smiled at this and took this as her chance to quickly squeeze her friend one more time. She couldn't help herself but backed off and raised her hands up in defeat, shrugging at the woman's half-assed glare. It was going to be a while before they would meet again. Plus, as a scout, she tried to live every day, week, month as if it were her last.

"Take care of yourself, little Richter." The silver-haired woman suspiciously eyed her bandages again.

"Yeah, you too." Aria grinned and waved before jogging to catch up to the others.

By nightfall, Aria didn't get the chance to see Elijah nor Nanaba his family. "That woman's not the most likable one out there, but you gotta admit, she's got spunk!" Gelgar took another swig from his canister.

"We'll take our leave now." Nanaba hoisted the man up from his seat by the scruff of his collar.

"Can you imagine being promoted to elite force captain just like _that_?" Gelgar snapped his fingers in awe and continued to sway down the corridors, voice getting fainter and fainter, "uh-maaaazing."

Levi smirked knowingly, but no one seemed to have noticed.

"It's not going to be you, that's for sure. That fool," Lynne said as she got up to retire, "It's a work night. If squad leader Mike finds out again…"

A week later, squad leader Mike reported that the legion was going to start doing their own thing again and that they won't be working with the other branches anymore. Squad Mike's last assignment was the MP again but this time, it was carried out in almost complete silence between the two factions. Word must have spread but the past was in the past. They focused on practicing the next few days to get ready for another expedition. Apparently, squad leader Hanji had already finalized some plans and wanted to test them out as soon as possible. Aria, Nanaba, and Levi were summoned to meet with their captain and the commander. They stood in a line even though none of their superiors were there yet. A bag of ice wrapped in a handkerchief was plopped down on Aria's shoulder. She looked up at the Ackerman in confusion.

"Make sure those heal up faster. I don't want another one of your dumbass friends thinking I was the one who beat the shit out of you," He said and dismissed her protest.

"It's kind of gross how nice you're being. That's not the Levi I know. That Levi does beat the shit out of me." She pursed her lips in distaste but took the bag anyways.

"It's not my fault you suck at everything you do and it's Corporal or sir, by the way. Address your commanding officers the right way or you're going to be punished accordingly."

Even Nanaba's eyes widened at the man.

"Oh come on, I didn't know you could tell jokes now too!" Aria brushed it off, "You even got Nanaba."

"He's not joking, Richter." Commander Erwin walked in with squad leader Mike right behind him, "You and all the other soldiers will begin to address him as such, no exceptions. He's the legion's new Corporal. He is also relatively new to the legion in some ways. In other ways, not so much. He might need some assistance, whatever that might be, and Mike has volunteered the both of you to be that helping hand. Of course, this is only a temporary fix until our new Corporal finds his men, but until then, you will be considered to be in his squad. Is everything clear?"

Aria's jaw dropped to the floor.


	12. Pint-sized Battles

Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud.

* * *

Nanaba and Aria saluted and waited before their commander left them alone with their squad leader. Aria's nerves were vibrating. Then she exploded.

"Levi?! Heicho? No way. Not him," she said pointing to the raven-haired man flabbergasted, "I'm not going to take orders from this guy. He's-"

"First offense." The Ackerman folded his arms patiently. "You're only going to get three chances cause I'm feeling generous today," he added as an afterthought.

"-sadistic!" She continued as if he didn't say anything. "He's going to...going to abuse his authority, bully the incomers, and people aren't going to want to join the legion anymore! Plus he's also really short! No one's going to take him seriously- I mean, I can't!"

"Maybe on a horse, it's not that noticeable."

Aria looked to Nanaba in bewilderment. For him to chime in on her rambles meant that the blonde wasn't taking it in easily either. Aria watched as Nanaba visibly snapped back.

"Excuse that, sir. I didn't mean it," the blonde said gathering his composure once more.

"Excuse is given." Levi nodded. "Make that the last time though."

"Oh hell no! Nanaba are you rea-"

"Richter," Mike calmly interrupted her, "Do you trust commander Erwin's judgment?"

She sighed and collected herself. "Yes, sir."

"What about my judgment?" He pressed on.

"Of course, sir." She looked down feeling like a kid being chastised. She couldn't help it. The Ackerman was a lot to deal with already as a regular foot soldier, but as a corporal? Aria couldn't help but feel an old familiar sense of unease and distrust for the man bubbling up again. Despite working with the man on and off for a year, there was a lot that they didn't know about him. Sure they've talked on more than one occasion but the real Ackerman was not someone she thought she knew. Maybe Erwin, Mike, or even Hanji saw otherwise, but Aria thought it was too soon to put a man like him in a position like that. She felt bad for even thinking it, but even now she wasn't sure if his loyalties truly belonged with the Corps. And differences aside, she couldn't imagine a man with a temperament like his being a good leader...not that she had much to say on that topic either but that was beside the point.

"Levi as corporal will only benefit the legion. You have seen him on the field, have you not?" He asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Then you will know that when the rest of the legion gets a chance a chance to fight alongside him, they will feel motivated and safe. He is worthy of that title and you will respect that, despite whatever differences you two share. As he has accepted his title, rest be assured, he will not get away with abusing that power without any repercussions of his own. I'll personally see to that." Her captain paused, waiting for her to nod in response as to get the message across. "If you want to know why I chose you and Nanaba, for one, you two work the best together. It'll make it easier for Corporal to adjust on the field. It would have been you and your brother if the both of you didn't have rather… strong personalities. Nanaba has a more agreeable record and I trust him to keep you in check, as he usually does."

Aria's face burst into flames. Now she really felt like a kid caught doing something they weren't supposed to twice.

"That's not a bad thing." Mike smiled. "It's an asset on the field and on a team. Not everyone is going to take doing the things we do in the same way. Don't underestimate yourself. There's a reason why you're in my squad. I trust the two of you specifically to work together in making this transition smooth." He headed for the door before turning around to look at his subordinates one more time. "Should I assume differently?" Mike asked with a slight tease to his tone.

Nanaba and Aria saluted one more time before exiting the room, trailing behind their newly anointed corporal.

"It's safe to say that I thoroughly enjoyed that. Red's a good color on you, Richter." Levi smirked.

Aria growled silently in exasperation trying to catch Nanaba's attention by miming disbelievingly at the Ackerman. I told you so, her face read.

"I see what you're doing," The Ackerman commented without as much as a glance back.

"You couldn't have..." Aria held her hands up in defeat as he stopped in his tracks. "Sir," she added hastily. The corporal continued leading them down the hallway. He paused, hands on the door leading into his new office.

"My first job for you two is to assess the soldiers training and bring me back a list of potential men you believe are worthy enough to be designated under my command."

Aria's eyes almost bulged out her sockets, then realized that she shouldn't have expected anything less from that man. They saluted, albeit Aria reluctantly. Satisfied with their behavior, he entered the room to get ready for his official inauguration "ceremony".

"It's like he was born ordering others around. Slipped right out of his mom running his mouth. He's a natural," Aria whispered to her blonde friend, who in turn, cringed.

"I wouldn't test him," he replied in a manner caught between amusement and concern.

"I can hear you two," the agitated corporal called from behind the door.

Aria and Nanaba picked up their pace into the courtyard. They stood alongside Hanji's squad as Levi was being formally introduced to the legion as the new corporal. Aria could practically taste the unrest that arose. As the scouts filtered back into the grounds, talking amongst themselves, she noticed that most looked unsure. The man had already built a reputation here, but it wasn't exactly the best one.

"How should we do this? Announce the plan and take volunteers or assess on the sidelines and pick from the lot we see fit?" Aria wondered if there would be any volunteers, to begin with. They don't seem it, but the scouts do play it safe. Levi doesn't exactly give off an aura of pleasantry and security.

"I think we should observe first and then ask for volunteers," Nanaba stated after a moment of thinking. The cards they were dealt aren't the best so they had to be careful if they wanted to make it work. "If we're lucky, some volunteers will match up with who we choose. We'll decide after, how we want to take it from there," Nanaba finished.

Aria nodded. It seemed solid enough. After a couple hours, they had compiled a list of forty scouts or so. She was expecting less than half to come up but after announcing their plan, not a single hand raised. Judging by the shifty expressions on most in the crowd, they must have been the bunch unhappy with the way events have unfolded and came to voice their disapproval.

"They're not exactly wrong. Can't say I'm completely sold on this either." Aria sighed.

"But you don't like the way this bunch is treating this like a joke?" He glanced at her from the side knowingly.

"Exactly," she confirmed turning to the scouts, "Now why, again, aren't you interested? Working directly under our new corporal is a pretty darn good opportunity if you ask me." She tried to get a reaction out of them, but it turns out, they weren't very receptive.

Immediately, a boy spoke up. "It's just that he's not really like us. We heard that he only joined us by force. How can we trust him to be on our side or even worse, command us?"

A couple soldiers murmured among themselves in agreement. These scouts must be younger than Aria originally thought if they were questioning Levi's capabilities. It was almost impossible to keep track of the scouts since many unfortunately came and went so fast. Still, hearing their worries was like listening to her own doubts about the Ackerman before he was drafted.

"Well...my friend told me he's viciously short-tempered and acts like he's better than all of us. I, personally, have seen him training and he doesn't seem to care for the well-being of others. I cannot imagine putting myself in a situation where my captain does not cooperate with me," recounted another scout.

"He'd probably leave us to die out there like the self-preserving street rat he is. That man knows no consequences for his actions." This time a riled-up woman spoke up bitterly.

Aria had no idea what presence Levi had established already but something tells her he might not have played too nice on the grounds and some cadets felt particularly butt-hurt about it. It didn't involve her so usually, she'd let bygones be bygones. There was no need to concern oneself with any drama, but for some reason, this particular account immensely aggravated her. Sure, he held others accountable for their abilities and skills, or lack thereof, and handle them accordingly but to assume he knows not of his actions is like saying he didn't have a conscience. That struck it home, being that Aria was there to witness just how much the main toiled over his mistakes and regrets concerning Isabel and Farlan.

"And you all consider yourselves "true" scouts because you were admitted the proper way and have the "right" morals and values? I wouldn't even call you a soldier if that's your definition of being one, much less a scout. Let me get this straight, you're all passing up this chance to prove your worth because of some rumors, yes?" Aria asked impatiently.

"We wouldn't have a problem if he didn't prove those rumors to be true. Why didn't they pick someone like Nanaba then? Or you? Commander Erwin seems to trust you two enough to work with that criminal," a taller stout faced male pointed out.

"Did they not teach you the importance of trusting one another? Does that mean you don't trust our commander's decisions then? What about our decision?" Nanaba echoed their captain's words, "We'll come back once you scouts have sorted yourselves out." He abruptly cut off another protest and made way back to the HQ.

"I can't blame them for worrying cause Levi is… well, Levi." Aria headed up the stairs towards their new corporal's office. "There's a change they haven't even seen him in battle either. All these insignificant doubts and rumors- we have to squash them if we're going to make this work."

Nanaba held her back before she could just barge in and knocked, waiting for the OK to enter. The Ackerman was organizing the files into his cabinet and looked up expectantly when they entered. They saluted.

"You two learn quick," he noted. "What do you want?"

Nanaba explained their current situation to the man.

"And what do you want me to do about it? If I recall correctly, I gave you the job. Just get it done and give me a finished list," he ordered in agitation. Here he thought they were supposed to hold his hand through this, not the other way around.

"Okay, frankly speaking, no one wants to work with you, sir." She lay it on him. He wasn't the type to beat around the bush so why should she? He needed to know what the problem was.

He paused. "I figured. And what's your plan then?"

"You should come out onto the grounds with us. Most of the scouts haven't seen you fight, nor do they think you're the real deal. I think you being there would make a difference," she suggested earnestly.

"So they want me to prove my worth? Then they're not the ones I want. Go find others." The Ackerman stated it as if it were as easy as going to the market and picking out bruised fruits.

"We're talking about it being beneficial on the long run too, sir," Nanaba pressed on, "I think if you expect them to show you that unconditional loyalty and respect, you have to show the same. If anything, you should have been the first face they saw before ours; instead, you're holed up here."

At this, Aria proudly smirked and resisted the urge to pat him on the back. She always knew Nanaba was the smarter one for concealing his weapons. He had a knack for attacking at the most opportune moments.

The Ackerman raised an eyebrow. "I don't care what you think is best for me to do. Worry about completing this task yourself before trying to advise your captain. You're dismissed."

She internally deflated. Except the Ackerman wasn't their usual opponent. Aria didn't even bother to salute when she was out the door storming her way back into the courtyard. "This was exactly what I was talking about," she hissed, "And he thinks he's going to get respect from us like that? We're doing this together, yet we're missing a step somewhere." Aria could tell even Nanaba was unnerved.

Finally, Nanaba motioned at the scouts. "Let's try working with them first. It's going to be like pulling teeth, but we need to see who excel and in what. If worse comes to worst, we'll just assign them whether they have a say or not," he jokingly tried to reassure her. Obviously, that was an option that didn't sit well with either of them.

The soldiers watched as the two senior scouts walked into the field fully strapped up. They sparred with a few of them one on one to get a feel for them and each took aside a group of twenty soldiers to let loose into the forest. She felt they were a little too disorganized. Not being in squads made them less used to teamwork and even less flexible in adapting to each other's styles.

Aria took into the trees after them, observing the way they moved and handled the blades. A brown-haired spectacled boy abruptly stopped and discharged a lot of his gas to bound upwards. He was a bit clumsy at turning but handled himself well. He flung himself a little too far up when approaching the cut-out titan and slashed too weakly, but it was nothing they couldn't work on. She wrote his name down. Another scout that caught her eye was a blonde female. She hit hard and went hard but lacked a sense of communication with the other members. Hesitating, Aria wrote her name down as well.

They went through with groups of twenty scouts at a time until Aria felt as if she finished examining the whole legion. She grunted as her feet hit the ground roughly and her thighs protested at the impact. They had just finished the last sections and both her and Nanaba had accumulated a total of twenty-five well-thought-out scouts. Still, it was too many. He didn't have his own squad, so ideally for a corporal, the Ackerman would have ten soldiers personally working under his wing. Nanaba dismissed the cadets for a short break.

Aria headed over to the well to freshen up before the final selection. She thought about asking the Mike squad to come out and show the scouts how to establish better teamwork. Aria sat, folded up against the cold stones with fresh water dripping down her face and neck. She untied her braided pigtails and wiggled her hair free before tilting her head back tiredly to sort out the tension. A shadow covered her face.

Peeking an eye open, she saw who it was and groaned before shutting them again, this time tighter.

"Did you finish the list like I asked?" Levi asked arms folded, leaning against the stable doors.

"Did you come out to play with us like we asked?" She shot back without hesitation. In a sense, he wasn't a corporal yet. Not to her nor the legion. All titles aside, she was really not in the mood to deal with another holier-than-thou lecture.

He frowned and grabbed the wet towel she had placed on top of her eyes. "I thought we made it clear who was in charge now."

"I thought we made it clear that we were going to try and work together on this together. I didn't agree to get treated like a goddamn dog and neither do the scouts that clearly don't want to sign up." She refused to look at the man. He was that much more aggravating today. If she wasn't so worked up, she would have reasoned a link between his unusually over-the-top crankiness with his unease and pressure to adapt to his new position. At the moment, she was just focused on the feelings of regret for having called him sir and saluting him a couple times already. He might have acquired a new position but not the respect. She made sure he got that straight before he could give her another order.

"We are working together. I gave the order and you're carrying it out. That's how it's going to be now and if you have a problem, you can bring it up with Mike or Erwin."

"Do not call their names without their titles," she growled. Her eyes were open now and they were piercing. "You definitely haven't earned that yet." She anticipated his response with claws drawn, ready for the challenge that he would surely present.

He watched her carefully. "Is that what this is about? Nanaba seemed to have accepted it already."

"In case you haven't noticed, he's not so happy with you either," she pointed out.

Levi's eyes narrowed. "It's not about making you or the scouts happy. If they know what's best for them, working and training hard is what's going to keep them from getting themselves and others killed out there. Under my command or not, those soldiers need to do what it takes to fend for themselves, not do what makes them happy."

"So now you want what's best for the scouts? Make up your mind. Do you want them to work with you or for you? Don't underestimate the legion, Levi. What is there to fight for if we can't even fight for each other?" Aria was tired of arguing with the man. She knew he was watching from his office the whole time and not once did he take his eyes off the cadets. He clearly felt the unsaid responsibility of involving himself more with the scouts but didn't know how to approach it. That was why she and Nanaba were grabbed and she knew asking for help was the last thing the Ackerman wanted. His words often did not give out his true intentions and them, having been in his company more than other scouts, have learned to decipher that...somewhat. It still can't be ignored that the man was one prickly son of a bitch, but he was an honest one and they needed to know he was there with them. She couldn't read much from his face but she felt his sincerity. Deep inside, she felt bad for saying the things she said and knew an apology was due somewhere in the near future.

"I'm not here to baby anybody," he said with an air of finality. "If you all are capable of what you're claiming to be, then why am I needed here? What is missing from Erwin's grand plans if you already have them laid out?" The Ackerman took on a more grave tone.

That was beside the point and he knew it. They both did but now more personal issues were being placed on the table. It was more than his promotion and his lack of involvement in gathering his own men. It was a problem that Aria and pretty much everyone else in the legion had with the man. Trust. He is unpredictable, possibly even volatile, and an all-around unpleasant man to be with, yet his skills are unchallengeable and that made it ten times worse. There was a thin line between distaste and jealousy. The Ackerman was not a man of many words, which already limited his potential for garnering trust the usual way. Though, he wasn't their usual soldier.

Aria was one of the few in the beginning that got to work with the said man early in his days when his loyalties were very much the opposite. She wanted to bunch him with other scum and just be done with the whole ordeal, but at the same time, she recognized how people can rise above their circumstances, which he has done with utmost strength and grace. In the heat of the moment, her stupid pride wouldn't allow her to feel guilty for being a hypocrite.

So, she did the second to worst thing she could've done to be the better person. She lashed back. "Actually, that's a really good question, why did you decide to stay? That's something I, as well as the rest of us, would like to know as well. So far, you seem like you could handle yourself so why stick around after-" She was smart enough to stop at that.

"I don't have to explain myself to others, much less, to someone like you." The Ackerman glowered down at her, nostrils flaring. She tried not to flinch as he bent to stare deadpan straight into her eyes. "Consider this your last warning, Richter," he spat and left.

Aria headed back to their final cadets fuming and decided to send them into the forest one more time. There weren't that many left and the forest covered a lot of ground. New titans were already set up and the scouts that weren't helping stood around to watch who it was going to come down to. Nanaba explained the rules. In a race against the veterans, two versus twenty-five, they needed to see which side can hack down the most titans. Now that all twenty-five were considered a team, Nanaba and Aria didn't need to hold back. The scouts had a ten-second head start. Nanaba started to countdown. At four, muttering broke out among the spectators. At two, Levi had stepped up beside them. Then they were in the air.

Aria twisted as a scout shouted in alarm and almost crashed into her. She zipped forward and nicked the titan before him. To her left, Nanaba perched on the thick bark of a tree observing the scouts flying by everywhere. Levi had already sped way ahead of them to terrorize Sina knew who. Aria jumped down and tried to tackle a scout to switch things up a bit. The girl quickly took notice and swerved up to avoid her attack, though her moment of distraction allowed Nanaba to steal the titan from right below her. Speeding from tree to tree, she took down whatever titans she saw. The sun was setting, casting shadows at every movement. It was getting harder to keep track of her teammates and the scouts.

She glanced at the Ackerman as he approached and started to move beside her. Suddenly he swung a blade out, which she managed to duck, missing it by an inch. A leg followed, which Aria caught with her two blades and pushed against. He grabbed her by the cape and flung her at a tree. She'd admit, she probably deserved that. Aria attached herself underneath it and steadied herself only to swing at the man with her leg, catching him on the side. He twisted abruptly and tried to drive his elbow into her temple as she luckily stopped the brunt of it with her forearms. Aria grunted in pain as her head knocked roughly against the tree due to the brute force of his jab. Okay, maybe she didn't deserve that. Their blades clashed loudly. She barely held off his barrage with shaking arms before he withdrew and nodded.

"I have to see if you're worthy enough to be on my team as well," he shrugged. "Not too bad, Red, although Nanaba did better."

He knew she hated being compared to her teammates, but she also knew she had no one to blame but herself. There was always improvements to be made and she was particularly hard on herself about them. It was hard not to when your team was comprised of such capable members. She supposed it was best to surround yourself with people that make you want to achieve more though. And she was grateful he didn't mention her brother because that would have got her blood rushing.

"Of course he did! God, I hate it when you guys do that. Stop creeping up on people!" she hissed in frustration trying to calm her thundering heart. The man was a goddamn monster to fight. He merely raised an eyebrow and took off. She knew she just passed up the perfect chance to apologize, but she didn't realize she wasn't done being petty yet. Aria mentally groaned. She could take on titans but for some reason, she couldn't pucker up the courage to lower herself to the Ackerman.

In the end, the senior soldiers still grabbed the win, but the scouts were now more excited after training with their new still looked nervous and hesitant but all in all, definitely more hopeful. They had finally narrowed the list down to the last ten scouts and did not run into any more troubles enlisting them. Even Levi himself seemed content.

As everyone was heading back in, Aria took a deep breath and pulled the Ackerman aside privately. He watched her expectantly as they just stood there. Aside from the small grumbles to herself, Aria focused on the suddenly fascinating piles of feces littering the barn floor. A random thought of the stable-duty scouts slacking crossed her mind. She didn't actually think of what she wanted to say before approaching him so they were left standing in silence. The tension was so thick and smothering that she could've cut through it with a knife.

"Do you have something to say or did you bring me here to revel in the smell of horse shit right before dinner?"

Aria cleared her throat and glanced at the man, ready to throw all caution in the wind, but gaped at what she saw. That pompous little shit was smirking, leaning against a stable post with all the air of a carefree man. At that moment she knew he understood what she wanted to say and where she was coming from, but he wanted her to toil over the action of it. She was sure the animosity was cleared in between them but only when she followed through with her intentions and showed that she meant what was to come out of her mouth the next second.

"I'm sorry." She added, "For before, I mean. It's not my place to question other motives especially if mine were not as clear, to begin with either."

He didn't budge or show any signs of acceptance. Aria sighed. "And I'm sorry for being a big ol' hypocrite and doubting you again. Kind of."

The Ackerman's smirk widened, prompting her to continue. Despite trying to be as sincere as she could, she felt humiliated and he was the last person she wanted to be on the receiving end of that.

"Hey, just because you've been with us for a year doesn't mean you're entitled to that trust. There's so much we still don't know," she paused and added in realization, "...which is also fine. Oh, who am I kidding. I'm sorry, okay?" She continued in an attempt to gather the rest of her resolve, "I was out of place for bringing them up and I'm petty shit for getting mad even after that." She could feel her face getting hotter. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"Ah, there it is again." He righted himself up and turned to leave. "Apology accepted, Red."

Of course, that was it. It wasn't like she was expecting him to own up to his unprofessional behavior either. Never in a million years could Aria imagine the man apologizing. She would just have to take what she can get.

"You look like shit," Klaud commented later on at dinner service in between chews. It earned him a disgusted look from Lynne.

"Thanks. I feel like it." Aria stretched and cracked her back. "That's what happens when you work with someone like him all day." She pointed to the Ackerman.

"Twenty laps." That little shit didn't even look up from his meal. She threw him a face of disbelief. He must have forgotten he was only promoted that morning. That and she and Nanaba worked their asses off all day to get him good scouts despite being treated like servants instead of subordinates. He really was testing it.

"Better fix that face before I make it fifty, Red."

"Yes, sir, Sorry sir, heicho, sir." She casually saluted, still holding her fork.

"Fifty it is."

"Fuck," Aria muttered. It was nice to know some things didn't change.

* * *

OHGODSORRYIT'SBEENAWHILEIHAVENOEXCUSE.

I definitely haven't given up. I hope you guys enjoy it and continue to stick with me!

Special thanks to :

FanManga28 - thanks! you've been reading since the beginning so I'm slightly more apologetic to you. It's always great hearing from you!

vanessamarie7 - aye! that actually means a lot. thanks :) I definitely kept it in mind literally 24/7 while writing and editing. Sometimes I'm reading a book and I start analyzing the way they write their dialogue...

xxXsilverXxx- yes! I've always been making up plot bunnies and this kind of set-up has been my goal to write about for a long time. I've always been interested in the Mike squad and hope I'm doing somewhat satisfactory in creating new and believable side-stories. I'm definitely thinking of writing throughout the main plots with eren and the rest of the gang ;)

Stay tuned!


	13. The First Day

Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud!

* * *

They had just finished up another teamwork based training exercise. His men were improving quickly and showing exceptional progress. After heading out a couple times together, the team seemed to have finally gotten a better feel for each other. Aside from the occasional paperwork and team consultations, Aria and Nanaba didn't really work with Levi much anymore. Levi was solidifying his place as the corporal and she couldn't really help but feel a sense of accomplishment and personal acceptance. He had come a long way as a person and a soldier, not that being with the man was still any more pleasant. Being a corporal seemed to bring out the best and worst of him. He was more vocal and nonplussed his new tyrannical powers. Melting into his mold, she'd like to think of it as.

Currently, they were helping Hanji secure a stray titan that had wandered too close to human territory. It caused a huge wave of panic earlier on that morning after several scouts nearly ran into the beast during patrol. Oddly enough, Hanji wasn't ferociously scribbling in her notepad or frantically ordering her right-hand man, Mobilt, around. She stalked in careful circles around it, intently observing its reactions and behavior. Aria handed the Ackerman the papers he requested, curious to see what their next step was.

The titan seemed to have mellowed out, completely shutting out their pokes and prods in a meditative, zoned out way. Hanji slammed her foot against the rod, digging it deeper into its palm. The titan's enormous, bulbous eyes sparked alive as he let out this thundering bellow of pain. Almost every soldier instinctively went for their blades. After a few quiet moments passed, Hanji jotted a few things down and went back to circling it. Aria had to remind herself to breathe. She had seen countless titans in her lifetime and even had a list of top ten most disgusting variants, but still, seeing it up close and subdued didn't make her feel any better about them. Every instinctual nerve, by its nature, was screaming for her not to get any closer.

Hanji had a couple words with Levi before the said man beckoned the two over. Apparently, Hanji wanted to test its regenerative skills before they missed the chance to test it on a captured titan again. It wasn't often that they had the chance to and successfully carried out her hunts. Hanji suggested going slowly; starting with the fingertips before moving onto the more important organs such as the eyes, arms, and legs. Despite knowing it was pinned down in numerous places, Aria still felt a sliver of fear trickle down her spine as she approached the beast. Her arms and feet felt sluggish. It loomed over her despite being on its belly, eyes bulging out of its sockets, straining to focus its line of sight on them. Its sour breath seethed out of its bared teeth as it breathed and moaned. Every once in awhile, its whole body would twitch and struggle against the binds, leaning towards the direction they moved in all while occasionally keening and a grunting.

"Hey four-eyes, I don't get how you find this piece of shit attractive but I heard that you're supposed to be attracted to those who look like yourself, so I guess it kind of makes sense."

Aria flinched at the corporal's abrupt comment. His carefree voice cut through the tension and silenced the background murmurs being done by the onlookers. Hanji laughed in response and jovially ushered the two on. Nanaba placed a hand on her shoulder as they exchanged uncomfortable looks.

The fingertips did not evoke much of a reaction, but it did begin to convulse and scramble forward after they decided on ridding one eye starting with Aria's side. Immediately after she sunk her blade in, steam hissed and poured out of the wounds.

"That's it, Aria! Keep at it!" Hanji yelled jubilantly.

Not feeling very encouraged at all, Aria wedged it in deeper. It let out a deep, drawn-out moan and made grabbing motions towards its face with its hands. Aria lurched back and detached her blade, leaving it buried in its socket in haste. The titan pulled so hard that its skin and meat stretched against the rods securing it to the floor, allowing it to inch forward just a bit. The poles screeched in protest at that movement and bits of blood sprayed out of the newly opened wounds, evaporating almost instantly after it hit the floor. With all the steam, she almost missed the teeth gnashing down hard where she stood but a hand jerked her back in time. Nanaba, who had more time to evade as it turned trying to get a go at him, stumbled a couple steps back and landed on his back after tripping over his legs. Levi let go of her collar and roughly set her back on her feet.

"Oh Sina, thank you heicho. Thank you, thank you. I'll follow every one of your orders for the rest of my life and never forget to call you 'heicho'," she nervously laughed and shakily got to her feet. She hoped it didn't look as obvious as it felt. Aria felt her muscles clench and vibrate in anticipation. She was going to need some of Gelgar's good stuff after this.

The man clicked his tongue and didn't take his eyes off the titan. Worried about her friend, she watched as Nanaba approached once more, this time cutting off an entire leg while making sure its torso remained pinned so that it wouldn't free his hips. Hanji continued to take notes on the time it took to regenerate, the manner it did so, and how it reacted throughout the whole process. It clearly didn't look in control of its abilities. The new legs grew out weaker and scrawnier than its successive ones. Eventually, the titan stopped protesting for it couldn't support its midsection, the area with the most pins and that they didn't cut into. Hanji took some more tangible samples, such as hair and fingernails, before deeming the titan useless. It felt good to finally silence the beast. As they watched the body begin to disintegrate, Hanji attempted to cap some steam into a bottle. Despite how funny it looked, Aria couldn't find it in herself to laugh.

"Oh Maria, that all better have been worth it," Aria palely muttered.

"Of course it was! It's always worth it when it comes to them!" Hanji winked at Levi who glared at the excited woman.

"You're not abusing my men too much are you, Zoe?" Mike approached them from the back, "Mind if I borrow those two?" He asked the Ackerman.

"Captain!" Aria grinned in surprise and saluted the man. Nanaba let out the smallest of smiles and nodded to their captain. It felt strange seeing Mike for so long, after working by his side almost every day for the past few years.

"Go ahead." Levi left the three alone and walked back towards the training grounds.

Mike led the two to the stables. "I trust things have been going well with the corporal?"

"Good enough," Aria replied thoughtfully. "How did you know where to find us? I haven't seen you or the others for days."

"I smelled the fear coming off the both of you," their captain said with a straight face. "I figured Zoe was up to something. The whole camp's talking about the titan you guys caught."

" _Smelled?"_ Aria mouthed to Nanaba before cringing and fanning herself. Nanaba rolled his eyes and silently chuckled while shaking his head. Sometimes they never knew when their captain was serious or not, but Aria knew to never underestimate his sense of smell. She wouldn't be surprised if he could smell her thoughts right now.

"Get ready," Mike suddenly warned. A split second later, he was darting forward to kick Nanaba's feet out from under him. What was with the higher ups and wanting to spend their rare free times subjecting their subordinate to brutal tests of skill? Why couldn't they just catch up over a cup of tea or at dinner? Aria brought her arms up last minute to block a punch. Gritting her teeth, she slid a couple feet back. All too soon, her back was on the ground and a wooden knife was thrown into the mix.

"Up," He ordered and waited for them to get back on their feet. Nanaba wiped the spit from his mouth and got into ready position. This time Aria feinted left and swung a high kick, aiming for Mike's upper body. She misjudged the distance but managed to snag a hit on his cheek. Mike huffed in approval before pulling her arm back and taking her feet out. She was blinking disorientedly up at the sky once more. Nanaba inched back and forth, dodging and meeting every one of their captain's punches. Mike switched gears and lunged for Aria, ramming into her side. She rolled over gaining footage again before leaping back on her front and catching Mike in a headlock. Just as she was about to tighten her hold and cut off his circulation, he snaked an arm back and yanked the tail of her shirt harshly before giving a mighty well-aimed shove which sent her careening backward into an approaching Nanaba. Their heads connected painfully causing her to loosen her hold.

She lay on the floor for the third time that day, limbs stretched out trying to ignore the throbbing in her head. Aria attempted to get up but just lay back down, letting a long drawn out groan. Nanaba shoved her off and smacked her already tender head in annoyance.

"So damn hard headed," He grumbled.

"Very well. I'm impressed," was Mike's final verdict.

Aria noticed that he trained his gaze on her a moment longer than normal before patting the two good-naturedly on the back and assigning them to patrol duty.

"I have to make a note to thank Ackerman before I get back," he added.

Aria scoffed, "Heicho didn't do anything but use me as his personal punching bag. And oftentimes without a warning!"

"But you've improved."

Aria perked up. Forgetting about the maniacal tart of a corporal, she began to saddle her horse with lighter movements.

"Don't let this be a common occurrence, sir. It's already getting to her head," Nanaba warned.

"Remember to switch shifts in an hour. We should be riding back by afternoon." Mike chuckled before turning around and heading back to his observatory perch on top of a roof. He watched as they brought the horses around the barn meeting up with Tomas and Lynne. The brunette cheerily waved the two over.

Sometimes he would guiltily catch himself wondering how they would inevitably part. It was easy to delude yourself with false hope when they've all come such a long way with him. Memories of previous friends dying at the hands of those beasts resurfaced. He was once a part of a squad a long time ago, just like them. One of the worst expeditions that he participated in took almost half of them away. It was the first and hopefully last time he'd have to be inside the mouth of a foul stench of stale blood and rot had thoroughly compromised his senses. He could never forget it. Mike's brain twitched into overdrive. He could smell it again, clear as day; The raw odor of death that emanated from those vile creatures in heavy swaths that came and went. There was no mistaking it. There were titans nearby.

Mike discharged a red gas and black canister to be safe. He ordered the soldiers below him to hastily gear up and sent one to specifically relay the info to Erwin. They were approaching from multiple directions and from many sources, rapidly closing the distance by the second. In mere minutes the trees in the horizon were shaking and slight tremors were beginning to rock the floor. They usually don't approach that fast, especially if no targets were in sight yet. Maybe they spotted movement through the trees. Luckily his squad didn't make it too far before Mike directed a piercing whistle at them and the other patrols to warn them of the impending wave. Before the entire legion could mobilize, a deafening boom thundered across the open fields.

Shaken by the power and resonance of that blow, he turned towards from where it originated from. They could see the small silhouette humanity's only barrier against the titans. The blankets of thick smoke billowed out from the main gates leading into Shiganshina thinned out to show a misshapen dark pit. Wall Maria was breached.

Then came a mass of titans swarming from the trees. The dinner bell was rung.

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aha! Bet you didn't see this chapter coming. I'm flipping over a new leaf!


	14. Holey Hell

Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud!

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Some watched, frozen. as titans started filing into the gaping hole in the wall. Others began to panic, scrambling around aimlessly, struggling to get their heads on straight. Erwin's voice rose above the chaos, ordering for them to mobilize. The endless stream of commands seemed to fall deaf to all ears. Despite mounting hysteria that threatened to disable the legion, they were finally starting to organize properly.

The only sounds she could process were the horses braying noisily and the frantic stomping of feet rushing up and about the HQ. To Aria, it was still all a dull buzz. Her fingers stiffened as she clumsily adjusted the reins on her horse only managing to tighten them successfully after a third try. A muffled voice she had only realized was calling her name approached and jolted her attention towards the speaker. His familiar steady and firm tone cut straight through the mess that was her jumbled thoughts and calmed her jittery nerves. Almost expecting the owner of the voice to be Mike, she was confused when she was met with the sharp gaze of the corporal. By then, he had adopted an expression of annoyance and was literally trying to snap her back to reality. She swatted his fingers away with a click of her tongue.

"Any news?" He asked expectantly.

It took her longer than usual to locate her squad leader but she managed to find him amidst the chaos. She tried to avoid thinking about how it could possibly be the last time seeing her squad members and was glad she got to do so before setting out.

She responded, "Squad leader Mike reported numerous titans all approaching rapidly from all sides."

Levi's face took an even sourer turn. Aria clutched greedily onto the final strands of hope that everything and everyone will be back to the way things were after they took back Shiganshina. Even so, she knew if they were still alive afterward, the rest of their missions and expeditions would pan into fighting in uncharted circumstances from there. Never before had anything like this happened, at least not in her lifetime.

Erwin chose that time to usher the command forward. Her heartbeat thudded with the same ferocity as the thundering footsteps trailing behind them. Aria saw that many of the units without captains were still scrambling aimlessly around like chickens without their heads. Putting forth her best confident face, she grouped the remaining scouts into their own impromptu squads, ordered for them to decide on a leader, and told them to stick close to the Corporal's squad. It wasn't until Levi pitched in did she truly start to see formation. A single usher from Commander Erwin prompted the legion to lurch forward. Within seconds the legion was overcome by a wave of titans. Oddly enough, in first few horrendous seconds, it registered that they were not stopping to grab them, but simply rushing past directly towards the exposed hole in Shiganshina's main gate. Still, this did not relieve her for this meant their strange behavior would warrant them...all as aberrant?

Huge feet mercilessly flattened soldiers in their paths causing those behind them to break formation to avoid colliding with the carnage. Aria tried her best to weave in between the feet to avoid being crushed but she could tell they were scattering. If she learned anything from Erwin, it was the importance of teamwork in propelling the legion as a whole forward. It only took a couple minutes for them to lose communication and break ranks. Pandemonium broke out again.

Aria would barely alternate between concentrating on the commander's voice and trying to avoid the enormous pillars of meat and brute strength crashing down relentlessly. As they neared the wall, the masses of titans broke off, teetering over to crowd the entrance. It was clear that the legion had no means of entering the usual way, which was through the main gates. Still, the brutes are not known for their intellect. Aria allowed herself to feel an inch of comfort when she saw their bodies spreading sparsely around the perimeter of the walls with only a select few at the site of intrusion clamoring hungrily over each other to squeeze into the hole. They were on open fields with no access to any structure that would provide them with leverage in using their gears. That was until Erwin's voice cut through the air.

"Abandon your steeds and commence gear usage!"

She didn't have the luxury to contemplate whether or not that proposition was even sane. Of course Erwin wanted to try something as risky as actually using the bodies of titans to get closer to the wall. The only safe conclusion she could draw before attempting such a feat was just as they saw before, the titans had their sights locked on the entrance and nothing else. If that held true, then theoretically, they wouldn't even bat an eye at them hitching a ride.

The survey corps have done a lot of crazy shit before, especially after people like Erwin and Hanji took charge, but this has made it somewhere in the top of the list. As intuitive of a man Erwin was, there were times Aria did not have it in herself to blindly trust his calls. His idea involved too much guesswork and hoping that the titans wouldn't notice, but to her, it was too much of a risk. Before she could convince herself otherwise, she hooked onto the nearest titan. Before its body hit the floor she was already latched on to the next one. It seemed like she wasn't the only one taking the safer route either. A few moments in the air allowed her to spot Nanaba not too far from where she was and a whirlwind of green, of whom she figured as the corporal, leaving an impressive trail of bodies at his wake. The man himself seemed to have cut a path for the legion to enter but even he couldn't hold it open long enough. It was only seconds later did Aria spot her squad leader and their commander aiding the corporal. If it was any other time, she would have stopped to watch in awe. The titan to her left fell as a figure leaped off it, leaving it to eat dirt. Gelgar nodded and took off with a wink.

Aria expelled more gas than necessary to climb the wall faster. Within minutes, she had made it over and landed only to take in the sight before her. Columns of smoke radiated above almost all of Shiganshina. Civilians ran amok aimlessly in the streets trying to avoid the towering beasts. It was like watching thousands of ants scurry around with no sense of where safety was. Safety was never a thing. They were just biding their time behind these walls and centuries of living like this has allowed them to forget what was really out there. This was something the legion always wanted-for civilization to be purged of ignorance- but never did Aria imagine it playing out as it was right now. Constant dull echoes of explosions cut through the air as buildings and homes came crashing down. From where they stood, way above the chaos, the relative silence was almost befitting of the wave of death that seemed to have cast itself over the village that was bustling with life only hours before.

"There might not be a tomorrow for a lot of us but answer this; Will you put down your life to save humanity?" Erwin bellowed. She could see internal conflict and resignation written on the faces of her fellow scouts taking in the falling city before them. The air was lit with faint screams which only seemed louder with every entering titan.

In unison, the legion stood up tall and raised their blades. "YES, SIR!"

Group by group, scouts were deployed to different sections in hopes of optimizing rescue operations and aiding the Garrison in solidifying combative resistance. Squad leader Mike readied to head down as well but stopped and looked over at the two from his squad that hasn't taken steps to move out with him.

"I take it you two are going to assist Corporal Levi today?" He asked almost as if he were stating it.

"Yes, sir," Nanaba and Aria said together and saluted him possibly for the last time.

Mike nodded. "I expect to see you two on the other side then." With that, squad Mike descended.

If Levi was surprised, he definitely didn't show it. Almost every street was congested. The gates weren't going to be repaired by today, tomorrow, or possibly ever. Maybe Shiganshina would fall prey to the titans forever. Their best bet was to get as many people safely behind Maria as they could.

"Listen up," the Corporal announced, "Just operate as practiced. Keep it tight and don't stray too far. We'll take them down block by block. Even if getting the people out is our first priority, don't forget to stay alive." Aria realized he was addressing more of his men than Aria or Nanaba.

"And don't do anything stupid," he added, sparing them a meaningful glare. His eyes grilled her specifically for a second longer as if to say _especially you_. Some managed a shaky laugh.

Content with what he saw, he nodded. "Let's go."

Aria latched onto a nearby tower and carved into a preoccupied titan's arm causing it to drop a civilian. Nanaba finished up as she caught the woman and steadied her. The Garrison was mainly guiding civilians towards the boats leading to Maria up the walls of Shiganshina. At least those that were intact. It's impossible to fly between the two cities shipping civilians back and forth, not to mention it's also an extremely impractical way to spend their gas. Usually, Aria was pretty good at managing her gas to movement ratio to maximize gas usage but right off the bat, she knew she was already spending too much and Shiganshina didn't have refill stations like select other cities did.

Aria quickly directed the catatonic woman to a nearby Garrison who took over allowing Aria to take to the air again. The garrison did quickly point out the various medical camps and safe zones they had set up along the walls. She turned a sharp corner, pushing off the floor to embed her blades into a crouching titan's neck and twisted, cutting a large chunk of its nape out. A man lay motionless between its jaws as half of his body slid out onto the ground. Aria heard loud bawling coming from inside the house the body was evaporating in front of and rushed in to find a young girl sitting in the corner of the living room, paralyzed in fear. She easily picked the immobile girl up and transferred her over to another Garrison. Many were stationed along a direct route leading towards the boats. Aria hoped they had enough backup to keep that pathway clear for transporting the civilians.

Alerted by a massive thud behind the building to her right, Aria lept into the air just in time as a hand came wiping out multiple houses. She cut the appendage off while scaling up its arm and latched onto its shoulder, spinning quickly around to avoid its other hand. Finishing up, Aria caught sight of a man and woman, fleeing from a female titan. It squirmed slowly towards them with an aroused yet dazed look. Wedged between two buildings, it could only claw at their retreating back. Aria took care of her before hooking onto a roof to observe her surroundings.

She had to keep pushing out large quantities of gas to alternate between titans and people. Her gear was beginning to sound creaky while the number of titans didn't look any smaller. Sooner or later, she was going to run out of gas and without the gears, they were only going to be another easy picking.

Aria emptied her dulled blades and inserted new ones. The adrenaline was keeping her from feeling winded but she knew her body had its limits. Aria tightened her grip on her blades and focused on the familiar weight in her hands. She wasn't used to dispatching of so many titans alone. Speaking of which, she hadn't seen Nanaba in a while. Last time he was with her was when they took out ones closer to the wall.

"Richter!" One from corporal's group called out to her. He attached to the building beside her. The scout seemed relieved to see a fellow soldier alive and kicking. "At this rate, we're going to need hours to buy the civilians time! We're going to be gone by the time they all reach Maria!"

Aria realized that he was looking to her for instructions. She shifted uneasily but listened to his assessment anyways. They hadn't worked their way a quarter towards Maria yet and already starting to slow down. The garrison is steadily being pushed back and the boats have already started to leave the docks. Goddamn capital pigs. She was sure it was still too early to be departing meaning they must have started giving up on the rest of Shiganshina. Either that or something happened forcing them to make that move. It didn't seem possible to continuing searching for survivors much longer using such a time-consuming method, especially if there wouldn't be any more boats left by the time they get there. There has to be another way of traveling through the whole city without taking half a day.

"Tunnels," she breathed in realization. "The underground passageways should connect all important areas in the city." That's the way they shuttled supplies efficiently and dispersed it throughout Shiganshina quickly. If she remembered clearly, there were also plots of land designed for emergencies like this, similar to that underground of Sina. "If they don't lead directly to the gates or gas supply tower, they should at least offer the people shelter from the titans above! Tell as many as you can! I'll let heicho know!" she hastily ordered the scout and left in search of the Ackerman. Her gut told her he was near where massive amounts of steam had gathered.

She found him near squad leader Hanji.

"There should be should be six entrances leading into the sewers and three official entrances leading underground; one at each end of the city and one in the middle. The sewers are trickier," Hanji thought aloud, "If we get inform enough people, we can focus on getting those close to the gates via the underground passages cause that hole isn't closing itself."

"And you're positive these tunnels will lead to where the gas supply is kept?" Levi asked. If that was true, it would be of immense help in allowing them to set out again after replenishing.

"Squad Mike should have the area relatively around that tunnel entrance under control, but we should still keep an ear out for Erwin's order to retreat. Something tells me we won't be making second trips out here," Hanji replied and then turned to her second-in-command. "Did you get all of that, Mobilt?"

The man took off without another second to spare, heading for the general area where Mike squad was stationed. That's when Aria spotted a familiar mop of blonde hair uncharacteristically alternating between running and using his gear in short bursts to carry him across the houses, heading in the same direction. Immediately, Aria realized that something was wrong with his gear and took off after him. She called out to him but he was still too far to hear. It wasn't like him to purposely ignore orders and wander off. Any break in formation makes the rest of them that much more vulnerable. Aria should have thought carefully before rushing after him mindlessly because if she did, then she would have probably avoided the titan that clearly picked up on her voice.

As she passed between taller buildings, she didn't notice the titan roaming beside her. Breaking into the clearing opened a mutual line of sight connecting the two. The beast was much less taken aback and immediately and gleefully reached out to her. She watched helplessly, in mid-flight, as its fingers reached, missing by an inch, but instead getting snagged in her wires causing her to fly side-first into a house. Its arm broke through the roof, in which Aria came crashing after, breaking through some disconnected tiles and beams that were not fully blown away. She lay under the rubble for a couple precious seconds trying her best to come to. Her vision was swimming with black dots. Something cold ran down her face, obstructing her vision in one eye. The dirt and floorboards covered in powder and debris drank up the drops of blood greedily. It should have elicited pain but she could barely feel the cut as she fingered the split skin. The only thing she could actually feel was her shoulder, having absorbed most of the impact, was thrumming alive as if rivulets of fire were running up and down her left arm.

" _You're only acting like this because you guys haven't actually encountered a real titan yet. Do you know how many good soldiers I've seen die at the hands of one?"_ The words of the girl from Flagon's squad flashed across Levi's mind. He waited for the auburnette to resurface but nothing happened. Before the dust from her impact could even settle, the titan was beginning to sift through the rubble. In a blink of an eye, the Ackerman was blade-deep into its neck almost decapitating the thing in his haste.

Aria tried getting up several times but a wave of dizziness overcame her. A gust of wind and steam filled the rest of the house up. She wiped the blood away from her eye and slapped her green cape onto her forehead trying to stem the flow. Aria tried to turn her body so that the gears didn't dig as harshly into her thighs. The steel boxes housing her blades pressed painfully up against her already bruised side. Someone took her arm and threw it over their shoulder in an attempt to hoist her almost limp body upright. Slowly, she gained balance and control of her limbs.

"I specifically asked you not to do something fucking stupid and you go ahead and do something fucking stupid," the Ackerman growled, almost livid as she tried to retract her arm but ended up crashing back into him for support. "You're a shitty soldier, you know that? If other soldiers die because I'm out here saving your dumbass, it'll be on you."

"But Nanaba was…" She mumbled and tapered off into a low moan. The floor finally righted itself and things were starting to fold back into clearer, more defined shapes.

"Just stay here and wait for someone. And remember: You don't get to decide when to die," He smacked her hands away from her gear. "Forget about even following me," he warned.

"Asshole," she muttered. A straining stink eye was all Aria could manage before her field of sight took a complete turn and she blacked out.

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Many thanks to FanManga28, kaykotta, AnisYamamoto : wheeeee! Thanks guys for your kind words! It's always so exciting to see what people think


	15. Starting Aftermath

When Aria came to, she was on top of the wall with her head and shoulder all bandaged up. Medics were in a frenzy trying to attend to all the wounded. Her injuries were considered scratches to some others. Her heart dropped at the sight of Shiganshina. Apparently, Erwin had not issued the call to retreat yet but still, she could hardly see any of their men left on the battlefield. She wistfully hoped they were all either safely behind Maria or underground already, but she knew that wasn't the case. There was no use hoping for things that were too good to be true.

The medic attending her told her she was only out for an hour, but Aria knew a lot could've happened in an hour. A couple minutes was all it would take for the titans to gobble up all her friends. There was no way she was going to ride this one out if there was the slightest thing she could do to help. She'd be pummeled back to oblivion by her guilty conscious if she just sat there.

"Uh, ma'am, I-I wouldn't advise doing that!" A medic tried to stop her from getting up, "I'm under strict orders to keep you fr-"

Aria slowly got up, gently nursing her head before slowly examining her gear. Her guess was that it was taken off her when she was getting treated and there was no way in hell she could work them all on again without passing out. It was hard enough getting them on perfectly when she wasn't all banged up and seeing dark spots. The gear was heavily dented on one side, presumably the side she connected into the house with, and it seemed to have empty all the gas out. Aria carelessly tossed the now-useless machine to the side and rolled up her sleeves while facing the woman. If she couldn't get out onto the field, she was going to try to do some magic up here.

"I can administer some basic first aid and know my way around the needle. How can I help?"

Reluctantly, the soldier gave her some materials and directed her to a group of medics stations farther down the wall that needed more manpower. Mindful not to jostle her bandages too much, she carefully made her way down to a different camp. With the way it was set up, the most serious patients were ferried down to the medics stationed closer to the wall where the supplies were most easily accessible.

A draft of cool wind greeted her as the sun began to set just like it did every other day, except today was far from routinely. Aria tried to remain focused on the smaller picture to refrain from being distracted by the inevitable fretting that was bound to weasel their way into the nooks and crannies of her tireless mind. She still hasn't seen a familiar face yet.

The soldier she was focused on stitching up was an older man with a nasty looking gash running down his torso. The blood seemed to have already started clotting, which was a good thing, but now he ran the bigger and scarier risk of developing an infection. She didn't bother to offer empty words of reassurance. They both knew they were stuck, exposed ontop of the wall with no idea of when or even if backup will come.

She bit off a piece of her shirt and advised the man to bite down on it before she started pouring the disinfectant onto the wound. He followed her orders in an almost methodical way and didn't move a muscle when she finished wrapping him up. It was her fifth catatonic patient and she didn't blame any of them it. She could imagine a scenario would allow her to succumb to such a state but thankfully, she wasn't capable of thinking of much at the moment. Even when Aria lay him down on the cot, his eyes remain glued to the hole in the wall, unblinking.

She didn't know how many patients she slowly stitched, wrapped, marked, and maneuvered around before he found her. The usual click of his tongue alerted her of his presence.

"Of course you'd continue to disobey my orders despite almost killing yourself. What a part of stay down do you not get?"

A crack in her already worn down facade formed. As if drawn by the sudden need to have contact with a familiar person, she surged forward to glomp onto the offended man. She'd take seeing anyone right now-even the Ackerman.

"Holy shit! Levi!" Aria threw all formalities out the window. "Wha-Where? When? _Where?"_

He tensed slightly, waited calmly for her to stop blubbering before simply replying, "They're safe. All of them. Further down the wall." He nodded over to the other side. She breathed. Hopefully, no one was too badly injured for them to be taken to the far side of Maria. Then she remembered things weren't looking too good when Levi parted either.

She quickly scanned his body keeping an eye out for blood or just any sign of physical trauma. Without thinking, Aria grabbed his chin, harshly tilting his head left and right, half expecting to find a missing ear or bits of brain guck leaking out. She lifted his arms and forced the man to spin around so that she could inspect his backside, all while the corporal was getting more and more aggravated yet amused at the same time.

"I'm fine," He tersely responded to her incessant touching, clearly uncomfortable.

She blew hair out of her face and stepped back to give a final look over suspiciously. He would definitely be the type to hide something serious. No bones sticking out, check. Why did he look immaculate despite having entered and exited a war zone? The man was insufferable.

When the whistles started to blow, she turned in alarm. "They're pulling everyone back," Aria said to herself.

Did this mean it was over for the time being? She could see the darkening figures of titans still lumbering Shiganshina. If they were organized enough to regroup, then that meant humanity wasn't done yet, even if they had lost the city today. Questions were starting to filter in Aria's mind again. What titan was enormous enough to penetrate Maria and what possible motive did it have for doing such a preposterous thing? Did those things even have a motive other than to eat? That opened up the door to more sinister possibilities, one that Aria was hesitant to cross over to without knowing more.

As they trudged back along the wall, she turned to the Ackerman once more. "Wait, how did you find me?" she asked.

"Dumb Luck," he replied matter-of-factly.

He was most definitely with the others but _somehow_ meandered his way over to where she was, all the way on the word but said nothing. Instead, she asked if he ever got to figure out why Nanaba deviated from their area.

"His family was visiting a relative in Shiganshina today," he replied. Aria's blood ran cold. She knew Nanaba's father was extremely controlling and even regulated when the family could leave the house and for how long. Of all the days that man would let Nanaba's mother and sisters out, it was today; the day wall Maria was breached at Shiganshina's gates. Aria was at loss for words.

"Are they…" Aria did not want to finish that sentence for fear that saying out loud would somehow jinx any chances of their survival.

"I didn't ask. I found him as he was coming back."

Aria nodded dumbly. Him coming back could mean two things and Levi didn't have any conclusions as to whether either was confirmed so the possibility of Nanaba's family being alive, no matter how slim, was still on the table. It was harsh of her to think this but now was as good as any other chance for Nanaba to set things right with his family and confront his father in particular. This had her thinking about her family, her real one-which was something she doesn't do often, like, at all. She could also imagine Eli opening his doors to those who have lost their homes from this mess. Aria hoped that old man was doing well. It was about time she paid him a visit, especially after today.

They walked for what seemed like hours until they reached the inner headquarters of the Survey Corps. They quietly hunkered down against the pillar near the entrance. Aria did a good job trying to ignore the corporal's frequent, hard stares. It was like he was blaming her for putting herself in the position where she was struggling to remain upright. She would be lying if she said she wasn't feeling a bit woozy, but she continued to stand, waiting patiently, occasionally peering over the heads of the continuous stream of scouts filing in. He was right to not try and persuade her to sit or do otherwise.

Finally, when the faces of her squad drifted into sight, she perked up and scanned Nanaba's face in a frantic way as if it would reveal to her the truth about his family's well-being. She thought of his sweet little sisters and then almost against her own will, a picture of them being devoured by titans or crushed under debris subsequently followed.

That prompted her to straighten up abruptly, only to be steadied with one arm by the annoyed corporal. When her head stopped swimming, she approached her friends. Klaud rushed forward and hugged her in worry. Immediately after, Gelgar and Lynne grabbed at her.

"Ow. Gently guys. I'm about to blackout again," she joked, wincing in pain. "Just kidding," Aria quickly added when the Ackerman sent her a sharp look as if daring her to do such a thing. She reached out to Nanaba and pulled him aside privately before crossing her arms patiently.

"Levi told me about your family." Obvious blanks were begging to be filled. She didn't want to prod him in case anything happened or he wasn't ready to speak about it at this moment. Nanaba sighed and lightly pulled her in for a hug. Fuck it. If he takes it as being rude or nosy, she'll blame it on the head injury, but she couldn't stand the suspense anymore.

"So?" She prompted for him to elaborate on that sigh. Her voice ended up being muffled against his shirt. It took another moment or so before he pulled away and gave her a small, painfully bittersweet smile.

"They're safe," he simply answered.

To Aria, that was not the look of a man who was happy to know that his precious family made it out alive. Confused, but extremely relieved for both her friend and his family, she let the subject drop. If she came to her senses earlier, she might have realized where the wet spots on the shoulder of her shirt had come from and why Nanaba gave her such an agonizing look. They exhaustedly rode out the rest of the evening in relative silence. The whole dinner service seemed to pass in a trance-like state. Who knew the human mind would need so much processing. What we saw was what we got. Aria methodically chewed on the tasteless chunk of bread, just like how the coils building in her stomach were eating at her sixth sense. Things always got worse just when you don't expect them to.

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IF YA WANNA KILL ME, I'LL HELP. I'm sorry for the late update. I feel like at this point, I'M JUST A HUGE LYING SACK OF SHIET.

Did I mention how every review makes me genuinely squeal like a lil piggie? Big juicy smooches to:

 **Littlecosma001:** Thanks! Me too. Sometimes I just sit there and the story writes itself. Glad to know more people are pleased!

 **vanessamarie7:** You're gone for a bit? I WAS gone for a long bit. Multiple long bits. Sorry for not consistently updating. Thanks and I've got the fire lit under my butt again!

 **WinterEveOrchid:** HELLO NEW REVIEWER. Thank youuuuuu for your kind words 3 3

 **Louh1:** AND THERE SHALL BE MORE. hopefully soon. I apologizeeeee. -criesinEnglish-

I'm actually embarrassed of my beginning. I want to go back and fix the hell out of it. blargh.

 **FanManga28:** Ayo, FM28. Glad you're still sticking with me. FROM BEGINNING TIL THE END, AMIRIGHT? just kidding. I feel particularly apologetic to you and the others that gave me encouragement from the getgo. Thanks for always tuning in and making me smile like a fool. Your reviews are always gold.

 **My Deliah** : Stop, you're making me blush. I'm glad you find Aria and Co. fun. Fantastic character development is my biggest goal. Alas, I agonize over a lot over it and reading your words put a big ol' smile on my face. Thanks a bunch!


	16. Wading through Hell

beeboop. backtrack a bit (in case anyone was confused at first).

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Klaud hooked onto the building, turning around to assess the damage so far. One down but three more incoming. He watched as Lynne sprinted up the tower and latched on to its neck, severing it with a clean swipe. Make that two incoming. His squad was working alongside another, more recently created squad. They stayed within reach and seemed to take care of themselves fairly well. Klaud looked over to Shiganshina's eastern borders hoping Aria wasn't hurt or doing something reckless.

"She'd be offended if she were here. Have more faith in her," Lynne reprimanded and teased at the same time. The brunette landed beside the older Richter and scanned the buildings for their teammates.

Klaud frowned. "Can't help it. I can't help but feel something's going to go wrong."

Call it his overbearing big brother instinct, but he couldn't help but have the need to keep that little monkey on a leash. Okay, that was a little mean but what are big brothers for? He had looked after and protected her for so long that now that she's branching off, it felt weird. He needed some more accustoming to. Plus, he felt a little better knowing Nanaba and the Ackerman were there as well. Distracting thoughts like these were what got you killed. Klaud tightened the hold on his blade and took off missing Lynne's knowing smile.

Klaud recognized Gelgar's absurd hairdo and flew over to help him with a group of civilians. He was about to take off again before a little girl urgently pulled on his arm. Despite having strikingly unusual ebony hair, the first thing Klaud noticed were her stormy grey eyes. The girl pleaded for him to help her friend and something about her mom being stuck in their house. Wasting not a second more, he let the girl lead him to a neighborhood more deserted and severely damaged by the debris flung from the wall. Huge chunks of stone littered the floor and even bigger slabs flattened houses by the pairs. He stopped to point a passing group of garrison to the areas he knew titans were closing in on civilians.

"Hannes!"

He watched as she cried out for the man and bolted towards a blond garrison who Klaud assumed the girl knew. He did nothing as the soldier took off with the girl towards the general direction she was leading him in the first place. Klaud hoped that garrison would be able to help that girl and her family and took off to dispatch of a nearby titan.

Thankfully, he hadn't strayed too far from the group and started to head back. Along the way, he eyed a group of garrison getting cornered and figured another detour wouldn't hurt. To his surprise, another soldier, probably from that same group, swept in with scary lightning speed and dispatched two in record-setting time. Almost colliding with the soldier, he caught a glimpse of who she was and despite himself, he grinned.

"You take care of your men and I'll take care of mine, Richter," Rico said. She eyed him testily but he didn't miss the slight spark of recognition behind it. He realized now was probably the worst time to be smiling the slightest and righted his face once more.

Clearing his throat, he handed her a flare gun. "Send up a green if your area is cleared of civilians and a red if you need back up. I'll come right away. We need to clear this side before moving towards the more populated areas."

She turned the gun shiftily between hands. These tools were relatively new to the military with only one year of testing under its belt, in which the majority was done by the survey corps. The other branches of the military have yet to work with the signaling tools and are not as familiar with it as the scouts were. It was an obviously simply tactic but ingenious on Erwin's part to be able to incorporate it into all of the militaries.

"Be careful," he added as an afterthought. She didn't look too worse for the wear but he made a reminder to go find her after all this was handled. She did have a slightly panicked craze seeping into her eyes. She seemed to be handling herself well for now but all it took was for one slip-up to get yourself killed. Klaud felt even more uneasy parting ways.

They were making progress steadily towards the more populated neighborhoods when a scout informed them of the new plan.

"Where have we been directing the civilians towards?" Lynne asked worriedly. "If they were to redirect them all to the tunnels, then what would become of those who are heading the long ways towards Maria?"

"There are soldiers stationed along that route and more squads are being informed of the new plan. We should have fewer problems getting the people to safety if we're leading managing them on both sides," he reassured them.

"But then our forces will be spread out more thinly." Mike stroked his goatee and nodded. "That's a sacrifice we'd have to take."

"It shouldn't be too bad with the Garrison by our side. Is it too much to hope for the MP to show up?" Klaud chuckled bitterly.

They spread out and methodically picked through the houses and rubble trying to find survivors. He would like to think that most were being taken care of, but he knew that was not the case. At this point, it was so late in the game that most were either dead or trapped. It was getting difficult to find civilians this far from the escape boats. Klaud was winding over a narrow alley when he spotted a red signal flare. They regrouped at a bell tower.

"I gave a flare gun to a friend of mine over in an elite Garrison unit. I told her to signal if they needed backup," Klaud began explaining to Mike. "They were in charge of the area that the tunnel entrance is located in. I know we don't have many soldiers to spare so I'm willing to go myself." His voice was firm and uncharacteristically resolute.

Mike observed their surroundings once more before nodding. "Take Gelgar with you and shoot up a green once it's secured. Stay with them unless I give the signal otherwise. Something tells me we won't be on the field for much longer" he said.

Mike hoped they were making progress for the stream of titans were endless. Erwin had yet to call the signal for them to fall back but not many teams were still on the field. Mike watched as Lynne stared into the disappearing backs of the two men and patted her reassuringly. They were split into three, stretched throughout all of Shiganshina; Aria and Nanaba in the west and now Klaud and Gelgar heading towards the eastern gates. He signaled his remaining two soldiers to help the team of Garrison below them.

Klaud stumbled as he tripped over an amputated limb while in the midst of stabilizing his landing. The titan collapsed into a cluster of buildings opening up their line of sight to a group of smaller, swollen, drooling titans. Somewhere behind the mess of wreckage, titans, and bodies, a red signal flare lit up. In response, Klaud quickly fired a green on and sped towards it only to enter a scene of total chaos.

Somehow they had allowed titans to accumulate to this extent and wall them into the tiny enclosure. Civilians clamored over each other in haste congesting the entrance into the tunnels. It was a free for all as titans picked at them leisurely, killing many by accidentally crushing them with their meaty appendages and clumsy motor skills. Rico, Mitabi, and their squads were pushed back against the buildings with barely enough manpower to help the civilians and fight off the beasts at the same time.

"Stay around the perimeter of the titans!" Klaud motioned for Gelgar to take the other side. "We should work our way in and give them time to work on the ones closer to the tunnels."

He knew it was risky, just the two of them, working on the incoming titans, but heading directly into the carnage wouldn't help Rico and the others. They needed to do damage control and prevent more from congregating. He and Gelgar swiftly got to work on the outer titans which were more spread apart. It got easier as they worked their way closer for most of them were fixated on the scrambling masses of civilians and soldiers below.

They lopped off one unsuspecting titan after another, methodically slashing and dodging every nape and limb that got in their way. Soon, the garrison was able to organize and carry out their jobs with more ease. Civilians were making their way steadily underground, soldiers formed a ring around the entrance, fewer titans were breaking through the formation.

Rico attached to the building Klaud was hooked onto and landed beside him. Both out of breath and slightly shaken, neither said a word for a couple of moments. With the commotion dying down, fewer titans were being drawn to their direction allowing them to take a couple breathers.

Rico stared down silently at the gore and carnage of human and titan bodies strewn around the courtyard. Her face held a harrowing mask of deep regret, sorrow, and anger. Most of what was probably directed towards herself. Knowing that, Klaud did the only thing he could think of at the moment and impulsively pulled her in, clutching her head into the nook of his neck and forcing her to look away.

His stomach dropped when he realized the mighty-and-strong Rico was slightly shaking. Whether it was out of anger, fear, or both, it scared him. This was something nobody-even Erwin, someone who predicted and weighed every outcome he could imagine- could have predicted the events that have unfolded today to have occurred.


	17. Squabbling Hours

**Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud.**

 **I know they say don't publish right after it's hot and fresh out of your noggin, but I figured this chapter was simple enough. That goes without saying, feedback, good and bad, would be helpful!**

 **This is a short one. Enjoy!**

* * *

Nanaba walked past, keen on avoiding her for what Aria felt was the tenth time and that was only counting today. A little tickle up in her gut told her he was doing it on purpose, no matter how absent-minded he seemed the past week.

"It's not just you. He's been like that with everyone." Klaud joined his sister's gaze in following the blond out of the canteen. "Well, maybe a little more obvious to you than others."

Aria shrugged off Klaud's pessimism, not needing anymore after recent events. Knowing Nanaba, he probably needed space to sort a few thoughts out, which Aria, had been doing a lot of as well. Klaud has his hands full with clean-up for the next few days but somewhere along these hectic times, Aria was granted a sliver of free time due to her head injury and she was bent on spending it with Eli.

"Now is not the time to be granted leisure leaves of absence, Richter." Mike scolded almost apologetically. "If that was the case, the halls would all be empty right now."

"I'll go after hours, sir, and be back before sunrise. You won't even notice I've been gone," Aria said with an air of frustration. Clean up was a twenty-four-hour task but she was not scheduled for a position until the following afternoon. There was no logic in spending it in the HQ if she was going to wait idly to be called anyways.

"All trips to the inner walls must be strictly business related. It's flooded with refugees and the last thing we need is a veteran soldier getting mixed with anything. Don't make me repeat it again, Richter."

Aria nodded reluctantly and saluted before exiting her captain's office. She was on the way to the kitchen to eat her disappointment away when she spotted Hanji and Levi chatting in the corner-or more like Hanji yammering away to an ultra zenned-out Levi. Aria grabbed an apple and made three cups of tea to bring over to the pair. She plopped next to them, sipping her beverage absentmindedly. Levi gave her the smallest of nods, not bothering to watch Hanji glomp onto the little Richter.

"It's not too bad. Aria-chan does it every year. Twice too!"

The younger Richter sent the scientist a questioning look, not sure how she suddenly fit into their conversation.

"Our little heicho is pissy over having to recruit new trainees." Hanji giggled as Levi's eyebrows furrowed deeper in this forehead. The legion hardly received more than a handful of volunteers, no matter how hard they tried. Still, most of them were a breath of fresh air if you got past their nativity. Plus, there were always festivities going on in—

"Rose? You're going to Wall Rose?" Aria startled the two with her outburst. Levi simply eyed her intrusion of personal space and let Hanji do the nodding. Aria backed up unapologetically and fixed the corporal with her best nonchalant gaze.

"If it makes you feel any better, I can show you the ropes," said Aria.

"It doesn't," replied Levi, promptly.

"We'll get more recruits if it's not just you." She tried once more.

"I'm humanity's strongest soldier. Who are you?" He almost sounded amused. She hissed under her breath, cursing the man, hating that he was absolutely right.

"Oh, alright, fine. Erwin isn't allowing anyone past the walls unless it's work related and I'd say duty calls here." Aria looked to Hanji for help but the damn scientist was pretending to do her papers. Aria turned the sheets right-side up to actually face the woman, to which Hanji responded with a sheepish grin.

"You're asking Erwin."

Aria turned to Levi, grinning herself. She knew he tolerated her enough to let her tag along. This was working out too well. She felt the least she could do is let him know of her true intentions, although he probably wouldn't even notice her absence either.

"I have a long overdue visit to someone important to me. I know he'd be worried sick about me and who knows when the next time any of us will be able to go to Rose again," Aria admitted. That made her think about Hanji's family and friends. She knew Levi, unfortunately, didn't have anything left but the legion, but Hanji surprisingly kept a lot to herself. Aria tried imagining a secret lover but the only thing that popped into mind was a balding titan that resembled Mobilt.

"Sounds like someone you looooooove," Hanji sang, stupidly trying to get a rise out of an adult.

Aria nodded, not at all peeved. "You can say that."

Levi got up, making an awful lot of ruckus for no reason, and exited the hall. Aria gave a questioning glance to Hanji who just shrugged. Not wanting to ruin her chances of going, she hastily got up to follow, sending a thankful look to Hanji on the way out as the older woman collected their cups.

Aria wasn't exactly sure how to approach the suddenly aggravated man, but months of working under him have taught her better than to speak up. She left a good ten paces between themselves in case he decided to try anything funny. Her feet came to a halt at the entrance to his office, unsure if they were supposed to follow him in or not.

"Sit."

In it was. Aria unconsciously checked to see if there was any dirt on the bottom of her shoes that would track into his office. When she was sure nothing was going to make her run fifty laps, she made herself comfortable on the small couch near his desk just as she did many times in the past. Often times when Nanaba and she were assigned paperwork to be done in an impossible amount of time, they just hunkered down in his office, with his permission of course. She toyed with that one loose thread on the armrest as she waited for him to fess up the reason for his rapidly souring mood.

"Am I to be made aware that you're looking to break Erwin's rules just to meet some guy?" asked Levi.

"Well if you word it like that…" Aria tapered off. She swore his eye twitched in rapid succession three full times before swiveling over to stare her down. "Heicho, I don't see what the big deal is. You knew I was going for personal reasons and was fine with it under the condition that I ask Erwin dancho myself. Why all-" She waved her hands around. "-this?"

"That was before I knew why you were going. I will not let you use me as means of achieving this. It's offensive to the legion and to me as well," Levi replied, his presence suffocating her despite his short stature.

Aria gaped, disbelievingly before growling in frustration, "I don't know when a chance like this will come again. I need to see him and after what just happened, time is probably running out for me."

She didn't want to admit her fears of death finally catching up to her after all these years and with what just happened, she found herself thinking it might come soon. She also knew Eli's health was going just as the years were. The last time they met, lines she had never seen before were etched into his face. Aria couldn't tell if they were from smiling so much or worrying into the night about her and her stupid brother. Half the time she didn't feel worth his love. The only constants in his life were off gallivanting with titans and could only manage one to two visits a year.

"Can you just do this once? For me?" Aria frowned at his silence. The man was either deep in thought or struggling to keep from bursting. It was funny how both faces were the same.

"You're not in the position to be requesting things from me," said Levi, ignoring the obnoxious rolling of her eyes.

"Levi heicho is the greatest soldier to ever grace the military. Boy, are the Survey Corps lucky to have him. On top of that, he's darn good looking and some say he's as tall as-"

"At the east gates. Sunrise tomorrow. We're leaving with or without you," He cut her off with a ferocious glower, daring her to continue. Aria grinned and nodded in response before getting up to leave. It was late and she now had to be up and ready in approximately five hours. "Richter," he called out as she opened the door, "Time's running out for _all_ of us. I don't want to hear you speak of such matters again."

Aria hesitated before saluting. "Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed."

Death was and was not a touchy subject at the same time. Every scout knows admittance is basically the equivalent of signing the ticket to an early death. It made sense that Levi would put up a facade to boost morale and diffuse negative thoughts on such inevitable issues, but they both knew she was the last person he needed to reassure. Unable to make much sense of the corporal these days anyway, Aria pushed it out of her mind.

* * *

 **My Deliah: Thaaaaaaank you for your kind words. No! I hate unfinished business. I write when I want to minimize the NEED to post and I did have a dry writing spell for a while, so I sincerely apologize :( I hope you'll continue reading though. And yes! I really want to capture the push-pull sibling relationship!**

 **FanManga28: Yeeees. MY MAN/WOMAN. I figured Aria was out cold and wanted to write some more about the event. :)**

 **GreyMoon: Woo! Thank you! I agree I've become more accustomed to writing in Aria's POV. I like heart grabs! It makes me super happy that my amateur writing has pulled some heartstrings here and there. I do hope I develop Klaud some more.**

 **SomebodyElse: Oh stop it, you. Seriously. Your words put a smile on my face and it really means a lot. I'm super relieved y'all think Aria and Klaud blend well and are worthy characters on their own. HAPPY AUTHOR OVER HERE.**


	18. Friendly Greetings

Disclaimer: I don't own AOT!

* * *

Aria blearily stared at the figures waiting in the distance. It was way too early to be functioning properly. Not many times had Aria risen before the sun did so her being dressed and present showed just how much she wanted to go on this trip. A couple belts were unbuckled here and there but it wasn't anything worth a fifty lap punishment. The corporal was going to have to deal with whatever problems he had with the way she looked.

When she spotted the said man, she waved to alert him of her presence. She didn't expect acknowledgment back but she _really_ didn't expect him to turn around and get in the carriage. He clearly wasn't a morning person either.

Before they could leave without her, she cracked open the side door and bulldozed in. Out of breath from having sprinted to the carriage, she frowned at Levi in which he responded with the smallest smirk. That nasty little bugger.

Aria noticed that there were two other cadets in the carriage with them. They looked nervous and stiff at the prospect of riding all the way to Wall Rose in a confined space with their corporal. The silence did nothing to ease the tension. Not wanting to cram into the bench with the two sweating boys, she opted to slid in next to Levi. She could feel him eyeing her messy hair and uniform in distaste. He was probably itching to fix it all but his dislike for bodily contact held him back. Served him right.

"Are you heicho's men?" Aria asked the cadets nicely. The boys nodded.

"Has he been treating you right?" She asked again. This time the boys glanced at their captain nervously before hesitantly nodding. She was hoping this would ease their fretting and give them something to talk about. "So no throwing out the window, being hit with a broom, running fift-"

"That one I have!" One blurted out, immediately horrified by the betrayal of his raised hand and slowly lowered it while peeping at Levi.

Aria just laughed. "Me too! Been there, done that. It's not very pretty, is it?"

The boys nervously chuckled. The air felt noticeably lighter.

"See? You're going to need me to get more of them, heicho. It seems like I _am_ coming for duty." Aria smiled proudly.

"Did you get that from Shiganshina?" The other scout asked, pointing to the yellow-green blotches dotting the side of her forehead. Aria gingerly pressed on the bruises, almost forgetting they were there. They must have been quite the sight. "How was it like?" He asked curiously.

Many of Levi's men were not in the legion any longer than Levi was himself. No able bodied man was spared from the battle, new cadets included, but they were stationed in safer zones. Aria had no doubt the boys didn't see much action, fortunately.

"It was a fucking nightmare," offered the corporal.

Aria had half the mind to say something less harsh but realized he wasn't far from the truth.

* * *

 _Selene sat by her bed a good arm's distance away fingering the lace on her shirt absentmindedly._

" _It's a shame your brother is so attached to you. He's tolerable but you on the other hand..." She patted Aria's sheets mockingly. "You remind him too much of the other woman. What a shame..."_

 _Aria's ten-year-old mind registered the woman's word quite lucidly but her body was exhausted from the day's activities. Her eyes could hardly flutter open to question Selene so Aria lay there, content on listening to her stepmother utter what Aria thought was nonsensical adult things at the time._

" _You and that brother of yours ruin what could've been the perfect picture. Because of that-"_

Aria jolted awake, after rolling over a particularly big ditch, the carriage lurched. The dream was already fading fast leaving Aria confused and unsettled. She shuddered. That woman was forever a bad omen. What a gross way to start their trip.

Aria peeked at the civilians from behind the curtains. Homeless people, probably refugees, lined the nooks and crannies of every street. This was an unprecedented number of needy behind Wall Rose that trickled in after the fall of Maria. It was going to be a while before the government sorted this out with the level they're operating at.

They already passed Eli's neighborhood, she realized. Frowning at the fact that she fell asleep without intending to, she questioned the boys why they didn't wake her up earlier. Technically, this counted as falling asleep on duty.

"We tried, but heicho…" The taller boy trailed off. As if to demonstrate what happened, the corporal threw the scout a sharp stare.

Nothing really escaped Levi's eyes. Aria was not surprised if he noticed the bags that shadowed her eyes. This was the first day she's had off from clean-up in a long time and the first solid nap she's had since The Fall. Grateful for his consideration and knowing that the last thing he wanted was to discuss his actions, Aria grinned and nudged the corporal gently.

"We're here," the coach announced.

The training headquarters rolled into sight. It looked fuller than any other year Aria's visited. They stashed away whatever little luggage they brought along and promptly met on the training grounds. It was well into the afternoon and every cadet was out, lined up in perfectly spaced rows.

Aria stretched, smacking her lips several times before hopping on the fence to sit beside a standing Levi who was observing the crew as if they were his prey. To her right stood Rico and her Garrison comrade, Mitabi.

"Long trip?" Rico spared another glance at Aria.

The younger Richter nodded before asking, "Did anyone catch your eye?"

"I won't answer that until I see them in the field," Rico replied.

Aria smiled, excited at the prospect of that. There were a lot of them. It becomes a blur but finding those few cadets that manage to surprise her make it that much more worth it. It's those times she feels most understanding of Hanji. Aria wanted to know more about the cadets; to dissect the show they put on the exterior and pick out what makes up their motivation, drive, and perspective of others.

There wasn't a lot to catch up on with Rico. They were all running around like headless chicken these days. Peace seemed far away, but with them entering uncharted territories, Aria wouldn't rule anything out yet. She had her fingers crossed things will turn for the better soon.

Aria moved to oversee balance training. After watching for a few moments, she realized the particular batch of cadets in her section were especially fresh. Flailing about the contraption, not many were able to remain steady. Giving out as much advice as she could, Aria settled for letting them figure the ropes out themselves, literally.

Aria had her eye on a blonde cadet who despite her fragile looking body and stunning looks, sported the most bruises from repeatedly attempting to master the gear machine. Aria could appreciate a cadet that wasn't afraid to get a little dirty. Even after many gave up and wandered off to another station, the blonde stayed, gritted her teeth and hoisted herself back up the contraption over and over again. Aria watched as the blonde managed to stay afloat for a full minute this time before flipping over.

Aria walked over to the dangling cadet and smiled. "That was good. Next time, try shifting your weight to the back to avoid pitching forward."

The blonde looked up, surprised to see someone watching and quickly nodded. Aria watched as the girl approached the device again all flustered at the thought of being observed. After the fourth attempt, she began to relax and stay float longer, earning Aria a shy grin.

"Thank you, ma'am," said the girl excitedly, "Which branch are you from?"

Aria was about to reply when a stern voice cut through the chatter.

"Richter, where's your uniform?"

Aria had to stifle her laughter when the blonde's jaw dropped at the sight of humanity's strongest strolling up to the pair of them.

"I left them in my room. We're not being introduced until tomorrow anyway, heicho," Aria replied.

"Richter...?" The blonde's eyes turned saucer sized.

"That's just my last name. You can call me Aria." Aria assumed the girl was confused, having never heard of Richter as a first name. Was that even a thing? Imagine if her father named her Richter Richter? Now that was a mouthful.

"Brzenska's friend wants to take you up on that offer you made the last time we came," Levi stated.

"Mitabi?" Aria questioned, racking her brains for the events that unfolded with the Garrison months ago. It slowly started coming back. "You mean competing against the other branches? He was serious about that?"

The corporal shook his head. "If I remember clearly, you agreed to it saying 'it would be fun'."

Aria sheepishly nodded, waved goodbye to the blonde, and jogged to catch up with the already retreating corporal. She hoped the girl chooses to join the Survey Corps, but to be realistic, the chances of that were slim.

"I think she likes you," whispered Aria. She laughed at Levi's troubled expression. "Did you see the way she looked at you when you came? Maybe you didn't need me here after all," she teased.

"I never said I did," Levi scoffed.

To be fair, he really didn't. Aria wondered where the two men from Levi's team wandered off to. As they filed into the forest, she noticed many cadets lined up at the sides and the veterans standing in front.

 _I guess we are going to be introduced today...Whoops,_ Aria thought, suddenly feeling bare without the legion's signature green cloak. She got into line beside Mitabi and Rico, throwing them a thumbs up. This _was_ going to be fun. The one thing Aria did not miss was Shadis' screeches. She let her mind wander as the legion's ex-commander yelled at the cadets with all his might and it was funny because he was simply giving them the run-down on the competition.

"Listen up you disgusting brats," Shadis began, "Up here you see veterans from the Garrison, Scouts, and Police forces. These soldiers have seen more than you pathetic fools will in your lifetime. As you all know, you will have to decide which branch to join in two days time. These soldiers are here representing those branches. Hopefully, you will not waste their time, as well as mine, and take into serious consideration what they are going to show you."

"He kind of reminds me of someone..." Aria whispered to Levi.

He leaned in to hear better from over the murmurs but stopped after realizing registering what she said. He sent her a dry ha-ha-very-funny look before leaning back, this time putting more distance between them than before.

"I'm not going easy on you, little Richter," Rico warned, which prompted boisterous laughter from Mitabi.

Aria blinked and turned to Levi, who shared the same sentiment. They were going to make Rico eat her words.

Aria took to the trees at the sound of Shadis' whistle, noting the direction in which the others headed off to. Levi, of course, already zipped away and was probably already far away by now. Aria took her time flying between trees, cutting up titan props here and there. She knew the cadets were watching and that Shadis' men were keeping track of the tallies. Aria had no doubt that Levi could grab all the scores for the legion himself. She focused on showing the cadets how easy it can become to use the maneuver gear...at least that was the plan until Rico cut in front of her, stealing a titan from right under Aria's nose.

Aria reared her gear back to avoid colliding and huffed in annoyance. God damn flower people. It was on. She expelled more gas and kicked off the tree, barreling into the next titan prop and taking off again without hesitation. The forest was alive with the swishing of blades and the hissing of gas. The MP representatives fell into step as well, not wanting to miss out on a chance to get on their high horse again. Unfortunately for them, it was a struggle to keep up with the other veterans who have much more experience in actually using the gears.

Aria squeaked in surprise when she spotted Mitabi heading straight for her. Pulling up as fast as she could, she knew they were still going to collide. As fast as he appeared, he disappeared, dropping down beneath the pillow of foliage.

"My wires!" The garrison captain wailed from below.

Levi landed next to her on the tree, making sure she saw his smirk before taking off again.

Aria laughed and yelled out after him, "Show off!"

With just Rico to worry about, Aria took to higher branches, hoping to catch a glimpse of her silver-haired friend. Aria zeroed in on the woman heading for the last titan prop.

"Hey, grandma!" Aria shouted, trying to divert Rico's attention as she tailed her. Rico threw her a dirty look and expelled more gas, honing in on the cotton neck quickly. Before the woman could get the final slash in, a black mass hurled through the trees burying its blades so deep that the titan's head was lopped off.

"Yes!" Aria laughed, pumping her hands up at the corporal's flashy, but inevitable, victory.

Rico groaned, "Oh, hush. It's not like you finished did any of the work."

"No, but humanity's strongest did." Aria winked, earning her a shove from her friend.

They descended to lower grounds, regrouping with the cadets and other veterans. Aria commended Mitabi for this creative recruitment event and voiced her wishes to do it again the next year. Aria caught the blonde cadet's eyes, from earlier, trailing after her an uncomfortable number of times. She felt it follow her out of the training grounds and all throughout dinner service as well. It was weird, but Aria didn't think too much of it. Maybe their little theatrical stunt made the cadet even more interested in joining the legion.

After dinner, Aria told Levi her plans to leave the compound just for a couple of hours. Of course, the man didn't take to it lightly.

"I cannot let you wander around beyond the premises so that you can visit your lover. Sort out your priorities, Richter."

"That's beside the point. Why did you let me come then?" She sighed, "I'm going with or without your permission. I'm just letting you know so you don't rub yourself a bald spot."

"I know," Levi calmly stated. "No way I'm letting you get us all in trouble so I'm going to have to come with you."

Aria blinked, surprised. "I was thinking if we get caught, you can just blame me, but that works too." She didn't expect the corporal to take time out of his boring life to do something as trivial as coming with her to meet Eli. She wasn't going to argue though. This worked out perfectly, although it was a bit strange that his mood switched so quick. Levi did look a bit grim as if he were looking for a fight.

* * *

GreyMoon: YES. You're right on spot. But I did mean to make it seem like Hanji already knew because she was asking all the right questions and was trying to play the oblivious-bystander card.

AmyTheGreat: WELL THANKS. XD I'm glad you enjoy it.

PS- did anyone notice Aria used to call Levi 'the Ackerman' and now she's comfortable enough to refer to him as Levi even if it's just in her head. She just mastered calling him 'heicho' but still refers to him by his first name.


	19. Mister Lover and Miss Lover

**Disclaimer: I only own Aria and Klaud!**

* * *

They walked in silence for most of the trip there. It wasn't wise to draw attention to themselves. They even made an effort to change into civilian clothes. Aria despised the nakedness skirts made her feel and opted for simple riding pants and the customary white blouse. She'd have to admit, Levi in plain ol' slacks added some kind of charm to his menacing demeanor. Black complimented his sharp features quite nicely, not that she would ever voice that aloud. He would never let her live it down.

Aria knocked a couple times, heart pounding in her chest at the sound of rummaging behind the doors. Eli's street didn't look too bad, but it was a bit tucked away making it easier for refugees to hide. She had seen humanity at its worst and have seen what people resort to doing at their most testing times. Eli was almost too easy of a target for mugging. As selfish as it sounded, Aria was worried Eli would give away more than he could afford because that was just the type of man he was.

A bright beam of light blinded the pair. Aria shielded her eyes from the blaring flashlight being prodded into her face. She could barely make out the figure of a hunched man.

"You're messin' with the wrong person, you bunch of"–Eli lowered the light–"Aria?"

Aria flew into his arms laughing. Despite her worries and not knowing what kind of person she was going to come back to, Eli actually looked flushed with life. Older and wearier, but aging gracefully nonetheless.

"You got fat!" Aria gave him a glance up and down.

"Oh, you devilish child." Eli smacked Aria on the side of the head. "Invite your friend in, will you? Has your old man not taught you any better?"

The raven-haired man had not uttered a word yet and stood at the doorway, looking out of place. He must have done more breaking in than being invited in for most of his life, Aria realized. She ushered the corporal into Eli's den, surprisingly without any resistance. The familiar earthy smell filled her senses. She could see several jars opened on his workbench. Even at this ungodly hour, the man was working on something. She knew he visits the market every day, usually to get his daily walk in and to pick up some new herbs. Eli probably passes refugees on the streets every time and comes home to work on creating new ideas using his concoctions to help them. Aria wouldn't even be surprised if he was taking a look at people for free but she wouldn't have him any other way.

Aria always pegged Levi as a man in which not a lot of things catch him by surprise. The blank, almost puzzled stares he was throwing her was very uncharacteristic of the corporal she knew. The carefree side of her that Levi has never seen when on the job probably threw him for a loop. Eli has always had that effect on her. Sometimes she really needed that time away from the scout's life and Levi most likely didn't have anyone to give him that reprieve ever. That made the most sense to her, seeing how much the man liked his own space. It made her sad that the events in his life have led him to insist that only he can prop himself up.

Aria gave him his space and dragged Eli to his workspace, demanding that he filled her in on everything that has happened between their last meeting and now. As he spoke, she took her time walking around his room, looking at his collection of medicinal herbs and plants on his shelves. She fingered the yellowed labels with a wane smile, nostalgia washing over her as Aria remembered it was once her task to organize and mark up his jars. Just as she predicted, Eli has been working day and night at the local hospital set up in temporary stations scattered in the village. Eli brings his own medicine there and helps with dressing wounds. She remembered how annoyed she was at their first suture lesson, her not having the most dainty skill with the needle, and later, how she was able to at least apply simple first aid to soldiers atop the wall after the Fall.

Eli stopped mid-conversation and abruptly stood up. "I almost forgot my manners! Did you both eat yet? Can I get you anything to drink?"

Aria smiled and shook her head. "Tea would be fine. Thank you."

Eli nodded and pointed to Levi. "And when I come back, you better introduce your new friend to me," he chastised. With that, he disappeared into the kitchen.

Aria waited for Eli to kick up a ruckus rummaging through his myriad of jars and cabinets before turning to the corporal. "Spit it out," she said, "Something has been on your mind since we got here. I can tell."

Giving her the usual side-eye for her tone, he chose to ignore her until he formulated what he wanted to say in the nicest way possible. "Just because I'm from the Under doesn't mean I don't know how...relationships and emotions work," he began.

Aria pursed her lips in confusion and nodded slowly. She had no idea where this was coming from or where he was going with this but she figured she would ride out whatever mumbo-jumbo occupying his mind.

"I don't pry nor do I usually care about the personal lives and relations of my soldiers," Levi continued, "But coming from someone that has dealt with a lot of...misfortune, sometimes it's better to let them go. Especially if they're...a bit older."

Now it was her turn to process what just happened. Aria blankly stared at him, his message still not getting through to her. For someone who is crass, blunt, and straight to the point, Levi just delivered a hell of a convoluted speech. Yes, coming from him, that counted as a speech. He looked even more pissed off at her silence and inability to catch on to what he was trying to say.

"Dude. What?" Aria gave up.

Levi looked uncomfortable for a second before straightening back to his fuck-it look. "Isn't he too young for you? At this point, he might go before you, and that's saying a lot coming from a scout."

Aria stared for some more before it suddenly all made sense. His awkward departure from her and Hanji the night before and his disappointment in her the whole trip here. He thought she was using him to secretly visit a lover behind Maria! Hell, she would be mad if she were in his position too. Not only would that be selfish since many soldiers still couldn't freely visit their families behind the walls yet, but it would have made her look entitled for being that one special case since she knew the higher-ups.

Here the corporal was, trying his best to counsel her on better judgment with someone he perceived to be her lover. Absolutely hilarious. Aria didn't want the fun to end so soon. She wanted revenge on all the times he humiliated and poked fun at her. "Why would you say that?" she asked, offended. "You don't know how much he means to me."

Levi looked utterly peeved. "Richter, he looks old enough to be your–"

"Thanks, dad," Aria cut him off to greet Eli coming back with two cups of steaming hot tea.

"Of course, hon," he replied.

Aria avoided looking at Levi's face in fear of bursting out in laughter. By now, no doubt, he would have figured out he had the wrong idea the whole time and she knew it. Maybe it was about time he mustered up an apology for treating her rotten the past two days. It must simply be due to his protective nature of the few people he considered friends.

Aria used her tea to cover up her grin. "Red's a nice color on you, heicho," She leaned over and whispered to him as Eli settled down in front of them. Aria did imaginary victory punches in her mind. Revenge was sweet. So sweet.

"So, boy, what's your name? Aria not giving you any trouble, is she?" Eli gave her a knowing glare.

"I'm not, thank you very much," she answered for him pointedly, "His name is–"Aria looked to Levi hesitantly, his notorious reputation coming to the forefront of her mind "–Levi." She decided they were far enough from the Under for Eli to connect the dots, although Eli knew people from far and wide.

"Levi," Eli hummed, looking up from the notebook he was scribbling in. "Levi...Levi, Levi, Levi? Where have I heard that name from before?"

"A lot of people are named Levi..." Aria threw a panicked glance at the Ackerman. He was waiting, unphased, with a grim look on his face. This situation was probably not unfamiliar to him. Eli was a very open-minded man.

"I've been to many places in my lifetime and that name certainly does ring a bell. The infamous Levi..not to be rude, but the name's ringing a bell with something along the lines of a mob boss or gangster of some sort?" Eli asked.

She should have known better. Eli has been everywhere and knows pretty much everyone. His grand wish in life, after all, was to snatch that ticket into Sina. It didn't surprise her if he got to chummy it up with local MP and Sina civilians before he settled in Rose. Levi's name would have definitely been known there.

"You can say I was something like that," replied Levi, clearly testing the waters.

Aria took a bated breath, watching Eli's reaction. The old man's eyes twinkled in curiosity.

"Well then what are you waiting for?" Eli threw his hands up and pulled out a stool. "Sit, sit, my boy. It's been a while since I've talked about my adventures with anyone. You have many stories to tell as well, I can imagine." When Levi didn't budge, Eli shook his head. "Come on, son. Humor the old man, will you?"

Aria blinked. Well, that went better than expected. She gave Levi a pat on the shoulder and left the two grandpas in their own world. He will get along just fine with Eli. Aria gave herself a tour around the building she spent most of her childhood in, amazed that Eli expanded his collection of plants by almost a ten-fold. Aria noticed how many of the jars were labeled neatly in an elegant script which is opposite of Eli's chicken scratch. Maybe he found himself an assistant that finally appreciated his archaic practices. She smiled at the poorly drawn diagrams of flowers Aria produced herself when she was a child, still hung up in Eli's main corridor.

"Darling, come join us!" Eli called from the living room. "You didn't tell me this young man was a corporal. Why didn't _you_ get promoted?"

Aria blushed and stammered before defiantly crossing her arm. "Wha-heich...Levi is...he's differ...well, I what if I don't want to. I'm perfectly fine where I am right now and I'm doing very well for myself–in case you were even wondering."

Even after all these years, she still wanted to impress her family. Thinking about pleasing her real father was a moot point but she wanted Eli and Klaud to be proud of her. She's been told she has a nasty habit of downplaying her own achievements, but the way Aria saw it, keeping herself grounded made her want to strive to improve. Lynn and Nanaba have scolded her for her incessant need to gain approval from others. It was no doubt, the lingering effects of the hole left behind by parental negligence.

"Even if it means earning more responsibilities, honey, that's not the way to approach life. You should always try to be the best. Look at where this young man came from and where he is now," Eli continued to prod.

"It's not that easy, gramps," Aria sighed, leaning against Eli's cabinet, "I'm content being a follower, not a leader. Sina knows how many people would die if they were under my command." Being a squad leader was always a fear of hers. There was no way in hell she was going to voluntarily become one, not unless Mike dies and there was no one else to fill his shoes or some crazy and extreme thing like that.

"I didn't exactly choose to become the corporal," Levi stated.

Eli nodded in understanding and turned to the younger Richter. "Your idiot brother, I'm not worried about, but his even more idiotic sister, I am. After what just happened to Maria, I'm glad you're okay. You too, son, even though I just met you. How's that banana boy?"

"Nanaba? He's fine," said Aria, rolling her eyes. "Wait, so you're not worried Levi's going to murder me in my sleep or anything?" Aria stared suspiciously at the old man. "Because let me tell you! He's can be real dickhead, former criminal mastermind or not!" Aria was not beyond tattle-taling and she wanted to at least put Levi in an uncomfortable situation after all the shit he's put her through on this trip.

"I figured you wouldn't bring along a dangerous criminal to visit your old pa. Also, is that any way to be talking to your commanding officer?" Eli smiled, eerily. "You should be grateful he came all the way here to escort you here."

At this, Levi smirked.

Aria rubbed her head and moaned, "Oh, not you too..." New tactic; make Eli uncomfortable. "Shouldn't you have some other old lady lover to nag by now?

"Believe me when I say, I _have_ found another woman in my life, but not in the way you're insinuating. In fact, she should be here any minute now. I do wish you will stay longer to meet her, but I'm not so sure you're going to like her but I know you scouts are very busy nowadays."

"Why wouldn't I like her?" Aria mused, "If she's not your lover then...she's a friend with benefits?" Aria shuddered. "No thanks, old man. I don't want to see who warms your bed at night. Plus, I promised Lev-I mean heicho that we would only stay for a little bit."

"It's not like that either, you stupid little thing," Eli rolled his eyes.

Aria heard the sound of keys clattering and the door opening.

"Eli?" a voice called out.

She sounded a lot younger than Aria envisioned. Aria poked her head out from behind Levi, hoping to catch a glimpse of Eli's mystery woman, despite having said she'd do the opposite moments ago. The woman turned the lights on, revealing golden locks and a cute heart-shaped face.

"Eli, you're not going to believe who I met today!" the blonde said excitedly, oblivious to the guests. "It was my–" She finished hanging up her coat and finally turned around, coming face to face with the two guests.

Eli cleared his throat, ending the silence that ensued at the females gawking at each other. "Um, Aria, do you remember Nadia...your younger sister?"

* * *

 **Ayo. Holy moly has it been a minute. I have been a terrible writer. I go in and out of phases of intense writing and AOT. I never want to force myself and take away the joy of writing, but it's also been really unfair to those who have stuck around and encouraged me to keep going. I had an awful lot going on in my personal life and had almost no time to myself. I was juggling too many things on my plate and now that things are finally starting to wind down, this story will kick back up again. I have a lot of the plot outlined, so trust me when I say I want to follow through. I'm never happy rereading previous chapters and will most likely be correcting grammar and plot inconsistency directly onto this fic, so if you find the chance to reread it, lmk! I want to apologize for such a long wait. Maybe you can grab some hints for the future in my replies below *wink* *wink*. 50 REVIEWS. OH MY WORD. I HONESTLY WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD GET 50 WITH MY TYPE OF COMMITMENT (OR LACK THEREOF).**

: That's my problem! What I was perceived seems obvious as the writer, but when a reader like you didn't pick it up, it makes me want to write better. I will definitely keep this in mind so thanks ;) One thing I wanted to make clear about my OCs from the get-go was that they're up to you to create in terms of appearance. Sometimes I read fanfics where the character is outlined to the T (eye color, hair, length of hair, height, etc.) and it's a bit of a turnoff when I had created a different picture in my mind already. That being said, all I have mentioned so far was that she had auburn hair (I hate when OCs have these crazy features like white hair and purple eyes...like whaaaat?), she was of shorter stature, and that she was younger than Klaud (whatever age you want HIM to be that is). Finally, girl, you've been with me for a while. You guys are the ones I'm most apologetic to, yet most thankful for. Thanks for believing in this story and I hope you continue to stick around! 3 3 3

antisocialFox: A simple "I love this story so much" makes my heart soar. Thank you for the encouragement! I know a jealous Levi is OCC but hey, what are fanfics for? I want to try my best not to deviate from his true personality though (or at least the way I perceive him to be). Overly angsty, gloom-doom Levi is not my cup of tea. Everyone's got multiple shades and I'm hoping to bring that out in Levi before the events take a turn for the worse and everyone becomes a little grimer :(

Ms. Sleepy Clover: Thanks for the compliment and...constructive criticism? I'll take it as a compliment that Aria's making you feel all types of way. No one likes a mary-sue. In the AOT universe, i've seen a lot of crazy strong OC and a lot of damsel-in-distress OC. I want Aria to be an average joe-elle. The only thing setting her apart is the fact that she's got years of experience to account for her skills. She wasn't top-top of the class, she isn't the strongest or smartest in the Mike squad, she needs saving here and there, but she can hold her own when it comes down to fighting. Hopefully this weak moment for her doesn't "ruin" your perception of her! She's got a long way in terms of improvement and needs a couple blunders here and there to make it. I guess if I made Hanji or Mobilt save her right after their convo, she would still be a damsel-in-distress though :( Hope you stick around! Also, I plan on sticking with the Mike Squad Massacre (spoiler, not really?) but I guess if enough people oppose, I'll think on it...? It's a pivotable moment for Aria that just won't be the same if they don't all die. If everyone else reads this, lmk your thoughts!

FanManga28: aaayyyyeeee, my (wo)man! You, another loyal reviewer. I am most apologetic and thankful to you for sticking around. I've plotted most of what I wanted before I wrote the chapters out so I don't think I'll ever abandon this fic. I've got multiple fics for different books/movies/anime written out but none except this one posted. I think this shows how impulsive of a writer I am. Thanks, as always, for your kind words and support, bud!


	20. Ping Pong Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own AOT!

* * *

Aria threw her coat on hastily. She'd have to admit she felt slightly betrayed. Eli knew she didn't have a good relationship with her real family but still thought it was okay to hide the fact that she could have potentially run into Nadia on the way out. Eli might not have known Aria was visiting this night, but he had more than enough time to tell her that he had been meeting with her estranged sister for Sina knows how long. From the familiar puppy dog eyes Nadia gave Eli—pleading for him to help sort the situation out—Aria assumed they had been in contact for some time now. He must have taken her in as a stray just as he did with Klaud and herself, seeing that Aria couldn't imagine Eli had a reason for personally seeking Nadia out.

So this was what Eli meant by 'I'm not so sure you're going to like her'. He bet his ass Aria didn't like her. No, "like" was too strong of a word. Aria knew nothing about the girl and wanted it to stay that way. For a second, Aria wondered what landed her with Eli in the first place but then pushed it aside. She decided a long time ago that _they_ didn't concern her anymore.

"I don't have a sister," Aria curtly replied to Eli before turning to Levi. "Shouldn't we be going now?"

The corporal didn't reply, sensing the tension and feeling again, out of place. Having decided that he didn't really want to hang around any longer, Levi made the first move and headed for the door. Nadia scrambled to the front of it, blocking their exit.

She bore her pleading gaze into the auburnette but Aria felt nothing. 'Half-sister' was just a label that Nadia neither earned nor will be earning any time soon. The only thing they truly shared was blood and not even a pure connection at that. Rico was more of a sister than Nadia was or, Sina forbid, will be.

"I just want to talk," Nadia pleaded. "You never replied to my letters and now that I finally found you I–"

"Well, I don't want to talk," Aria cut the blonde off and reached for the handle ignoring Nadia's useless human blockade. "I thought that message loud and clear. Seems you didn't get it."

Aria wasn't always a total bitch like she was being now, but when pressed, it comes out every now and then. She had it set in stone with herself that this was something she would absolutely not play with. She had no real family other than Eli and Klaud. Any doubts about this wouldn't be worth the pain that would come with picking at old wounds. Call her weak for wanting to avoid that heartache, but she already let thirteen-year-old Aria decide when enough was enough.

Aria could hear Eli trying to placate the two but it fell to deaf ears. It wasn't until Aria stepped forward did Nadia falter. She managed to crack the door open a smidge, but was once again stopped by the blonde—now on the verge of tears. Frustrated that this was even happening and that the corporal didn't seem to get the hint that he was her fastest ticket out, Aria resorted to begging the man.

"Levi, can we go like right now?"

Nadia's resistance completely crumbled when the corporal walked up. He simply stared at her until she stepped away. Finally, the door was open and they were free. Aria all but jumped down the stairs to get as far away as possible. She flew down the block, heart thudding loudly in her chest. She bolted until Eli's voice was but a faint echo and decided to wait at the corner for the corporal, peaking out every now and then. She prayed to Sina that she-who-must-not-be-named did not follow.

"The man was taking his sweet ol' time, wasn't he?" Aria thought grumpily.

Levi finally strolled up to where Aria was, clearly unimpressed.

"Are you going to explain why you just left me to excuse _your_ behavior to _your_ family or…?" He asked.

"Do you even want to know?" Aria quickly countered, feeling better now that Eli's house was far behind.

Levi clicked his tongue before muttering, "Smart ass."

Aria was grateful he left it at that. They ducked their heads and stopped talking when several guards passed by on the other side of the road. Patrols at this time, especially now when has seen better times, were common. When they walked a safe distance away from the guards, Aria spoke up.

"Sorry. She's just a part of the time in my life that I'd rather forget."

"It's fine," he grunted, "But I hope you know running away is never the solution."

"If it comes back to bite me in my ass, so be it." She shrugged before groaning, "Oh Sina. We still have another couple of days to go. That means I'm going to see her tomorrow. You have to help me out, heicho. I need to be a five-person radius from her at all times. You can arrange for something like that, can't you?"

"I don't have to do anything," Levi pointed out. They walked in silence for a little before he voiced his thoughts aloud. "What if she joins the corps?"

"Heicho, just stop."

"Now it's back to heicho?" He asked with a pointed look. "Don't think I forgot you spoke to me informally more than once back there."

Aria smirked. She had noticed in more than a few previous occasions that he let it slide when she accidentally referred to him by his name rather than his title. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was making that tiny exception for her and the few others that knew him from before his rise to fame. Alas, it was Levi Ackerman they were talking about.

Worried that he might try something "funny" to get back at her unprofessional behavior the next day, Aria kept her mouth shut for the remainder of the walk back to base camp. Although, Aria made it a point to purposely address him informally in front of the fresher cadets from now on since he lets her off the hook so easily. Sneaking it in a little here and there is a part of her on-going rebellion against his rise in ranks.

* * *

Aria marched into the canteen, as formidable as can be. Summoning the most blasé face she could muster, she made her way to the coffee station keeping her head down and avoiding all eye contact. She wasn't going to risk finding or being found by Nadia. The room was teeming with trainees but funny enough, the veteran soldiers divided themselves based on habit. Glancing over to Rico, who was immersed in a conversation with Mitabi, Aria opted to slide next to the corporal.

"Heicho." Aria greeted, keeping her eyes trained on the trainees milling past the table. Even here, it seems no one dared to disturb Humanity's Strongest. Enough awe-struck staring seemed to do the man in any way. That—or he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Nothing unusual.

Levi grunted in acknowledgment and continued to eat his breakfast. He gave a pointed gaze at the cup of coffee in her hands.

"Not hungry," Aria stated despite his silence. If she got anything from the time she was in his squad, it was how to interpret his grunts and glares.

"You're nervous."

Aria choked mid-sip and swiveled her affronted glare onto the man. He almost sounded amused. "You're awfully chatty this morning," Aria huffed indignantly.

Levi was surprised when he found himself having to suppress the urge to outwardly roll his eyes. He was above such childish actions. It must be the side effects of spending too much time with the younger Richter. Just when he didn't think his bread could get any blander, a familiar redhead joined their table.

"Rhesus!" Aria exclaimed in surprised. "What are you doing here?"

The MP greeted both the corporal and the Richter. "Same as you," he replied. "Checking out the potential recruits."

Aria frowned in confusion. Only the top ten are given the option to join the military police. It was odd that he came all the way out to Maria to check out ten trainees, which more than half were pretty much guaranteed to choose his branch anyways. The luxurious and superior lifestyle was too much of a temptation for most trainees. Aria chooses to not comment on the obvious. Apparently, Levi didn't feel the same way.

"You came to check out potential recruits," He reiterated as if the redhead was slow in the head.

Aria hid her grin sheepishly behind her cup. That man really didn't have a filter.

"I knew some garrison and scouts would be here. I remember last time you mentioned you handle the recruits biannually so I figured I should come this year and keep that inter-division love alive." Rhesus shrugged and nodded, unfazed. "Anyways, it's always nice to see fresh faces. You can never really go back to how you were during those days. They should treasure these times."

Aria tried to remember how she was in her trainee days; Bent on going out to the world and making a difference for humanity. There was a point when Klaud thought it was best for them to just drop out of camp, eager to resume the civilian life now that they were more equipped to take care of themselves. Now look at her; A veteran soldier of the corps, seven years and counting.

Despite everything she's been through, she found herself content, having stayed true to herself as a person and soldier. Once being that foolishly brazen, fresh-faced cadet to rush into the field and take on the world, it wasn't long before she was presented the harsh reality of fighting an uphill battle. Of course, her overbearing worry wart of a brother was there to make sure she digested it thoroughly. She had come to appreciate the little victories without losing herself. That wasn't to say a little piece of her wasn't chipped away after particularly bad expeditions.

Sure, the wall was breached and more than half of the population behind it was wiped out, but humanity still prevailed. Selfishly enough, Aria was also glad her friends were alive. She didn't know what she would do without them and didn't want to imagine it. Aria internally sighed when she realized she considered Levi to be one of her close friends. Who would've thought?

Aria visibly straightened as if the weight from the inner turmoil caused by the sudden appearance of Nadia disappeared. Life was too unpredictable to be wasting it on the young blonde she wanted nothing to do with. Feeling peppered up, Aria exchanged a couple more words with Rhesus, both of them catching up on the doings of their branches. She learned that he rose up in ranks with Guinevere, the _other_ blonde—who just so happens to also be a pain in the ass—from their previous altercation, and was now a high-standing captain. Still, their achievements sounded as dull as ever to Aria. It wasn't that they were completely useless.

In Aria's eyes, they just didn't really contribute to what really mattered. Nonetheless, Aria reserved her high opinion of the redhead and strived to reach his level of self-awareness. Rhesus knew the majority of the MP's role was to create a front for the government and selling their idyllic picture of eternal peace.

Not really into the MP nor the redhead, Levi opted to keep his mouth shut, not even bothering to chime into the conversation when prompted. Aria felt as if she had to overcompensate for the obvious lack of interest displayed by her corporal. Who said she couldn't play the role of a diplomat? Aria gave herself an imaginary pat on the back.

"I'm going to go on a whim and say you already know who the top ten for this year's graduates are," Aria mused while fingering the tips of her braids. She didn't actually care but humored the man who went out of his way to talk to them. Surely, his fellow MP would give him a hard time him later about it.

"No, but I am confident I know who most of them are," he responded. Rhesus began to point out the trainees who have caught his eyes.

Aria hummed in amusement while following where he pointed. Technically, they would be competing for these soldiers, but Aria preferred finding the ones rough around the edges. Anyone can be trained to fight well, but not everyone had what it takes to commit to being a scout. Aria faltered when her line of sight landed on the blonde she had been actively avoiding all morning. That one they can have. If Rhesus' suspicions were correct, Aria couldn't see the girl refusing the good life. She had skills with the gear, as observed yesterday, but the mentality that came with living the scout's life? No way in Sina's Walls.

Aria snapped back to reality when Levi got up without a word and followed the trainees around them who were filtering out. Aria offered an apologetic smile to the redhead and bade him goodbye. Getting ready for another day of training, Aria stretched with all her might and let out a hefty exhale. Time to do more vigorous blonde-people dodging. She trailed behind Levi, taking her time to absorb the renewed activity around her. The man really did draw attention to himself everywhere he went—which was something she was pretty sure he had no intentions of doing but hated all the same.

A petite ginger straightened up when the corporal made brief eye contact with her. When Levi was out of sight, a blonde man, sporting a pompadour that would give Gelgar a run for his style, gave the ginger a wry sneer and elbowed her as a faint blush bloomed across her indignant face. It looks like their little corporal had more than just fans here. Aria's grin immediately dropped when _that_ blonde joined the duo Aria was watching. Her gaze hardened when she made eye contact with Nadia and immediately averted her gaze to another group of cadets.

In her periphery, she could see Nadia attempt to approach, causing Aria to immediately busy herself with the cadets beside her. Tossing a wooden knife to a monkey-like cadet, she got into a defensive position.

"Aria. Survey Corps."

"Gunter. Pre-scout," the boy returned just as stoically.

A genuine smile graced Aria's face. Not many are that steadfast in their choice of branch before graduation, much less those who consider joining the legion. "Get ready," she warned before attempting to swipe his feet from under him.

He dodged, catching her incoming fist with the palm of his hand and driving the knife-wielding one forward. Aria locked onto his wrist and twisted, causing the boy to drop the knife. He pushed forward with his shoulder, effectively throwing Aria off balance and picked the blade back up in a blink of an eye. By then, Aria's foot was already careening down onto his hand but not before Gunter swiftly flipped the blade over to his other hand. He delivered a swift jab with the blade, forcing Aria to swerve to the side to avoid being uppercut with the slab of wood. Riding the momentum, she dropped to the ground and returned with a kick to his gut, once again casting the blade out of his hands. He gripped his stomach in pain and fell onto his knees panting.

Aria got down to his level, also out of breath, and clamped onto his shoulder proudly. His moves were well orchestrated for a trainee and she was excited at the prospect of having him in the legion. She waited until he caught his breath and looked up at her.

"You ambidextrous punk. Switching the blade over like that really caught me off guard." Aria grinned and patted his shoulders again.

He hesitantly smiled. "Thank you?"

"It's a compliment, Gunter!" Aria gave him another couple of seconds to rest before demanding, "Come on. Up, up. Again."

They exchanged blows for a few more rounds before another brave cadet came forward and asked to be included.

"The more, the merrier!" Aria beckoned the trainee over. "Name?"

"Eld, ma'am," the blonde man with a goatee replied.

"I like your confidence!" Aria nodded before challenging the two. "Shall we do a two against one?"

By the end of their session, all three were on the floor and out of breath. They changed a few words, more questions coming from the cadets than from Aria. She was pleasantly surprised at the interest they showed in serving the legion without any prompting.

"You two would do well in the corps," said Aria. "Your hearts are in the right places."

"If I'm going to be honest," Eld began, "You scouts are less hot-headed and barbaric than I expected."

Aria chuckled, knowing exactly how they were portrayed. "I'll take that as a compliment. Personally, I think the addition of our corporal might have made it worse."

At this, Gunter snorted. "You're funny, Richter."

Aria was a little confused at what he found particularly comical about the truth, but she realized this batch of trainees probably knew nothing about the origin of the corporal. They only knew him as Humanity's Strongest. She offered the monkey cadet a small smile while thinking some things are better left alone.

Aria searched the field for the short captain and found him speaking to Nadia. Her interest now thoroughly peaked, she ventured over to the training station nearest to the two. After a few moments, Aria gave up trying to eavesdrop. It didn't help that she was swinging back and forth on the 3D gear contraption, showing the cadets how their form should look in flight while trying to pick up pieces of the conversation.

No matter how much the auburnette tried to convince herself that she didn't care, she was going to burst out of sheer curiosity. Aria didn't want any note passing or message relaying to occur just because the corporal was feeling nice for once. She didn't put it past Nadia to try and get someone else to arrange for them to talk. The only arranging she wanted was for Levi to give her the old throw down.

The sun began to bleed red and ravenous cadets were more than happy to flee in hopes of being the first in line for dinner service. Aria remained dangling on the contraption whilst the field began to clear out. She yelped when she felt fingers abruptly thread into her hair and grip her head, halting her mid-sway. It disappeared as soon as it appeared, Levi stepping forward once Aria made herself upright and threw him the stink eye.

"What were you talking to _her_ about?" Aria questioned suspiciously.

He raised a brow at her childish reaction.

"Heicho," she added with a roll of an eye. Of course, the bugger wouldn't let her off for being impolite too many times.

"She apologized for yesterday, she asked me about how you were doing–" he paused, choosing his next words carefully"–and told me to tell you she is interested in joining the corps."

Who would have known the corporal would have no qualms playing messenger. Maybe he caved at her pretty face.

"WHAT?!" Aria jolted forward, quickly unbuckling the belts, and thudding onto the ground. "Noooo," she moaned and rubbed her head. "Please tell me you're joking."

"I don't joke." Levi stared, unamused. He contemplated something before ordering her to stand and throwing her a mean punch before she could question his actions. Years of reflexes kicking in to save her from receiving a bloody nose. Already annoyed from the last words that were exchanged, Aria channeled that anger into countering his hits.

He had the upper hand in strength. Despite his short stature, that man could pack a punch. Being quite nimble and agile herself, she used her speed to her advantage; keeping her arms coiled tightly against her chest and delivering carefully timed strikes back. She kept her feet busy, alternating between roundhouse kicks and ground sweeps to avoid being pinned down.

Her tactic was to always wear down her opponent until the opportune moment came and allowed her to get the drop on them. This held true for when she was up against titans as well, hence why her team kill count was higher than her solo numbers. Titans are giant, bumbling humanoids that require a host of skills, including more than just speed and wit, to bring down. Levi grunted when her elbow made contact with his clavicle and moved to throw her over his shoulders. Ready for this, Aria shifted her stance towards the corporal, giving her space to slide her elbow up into his jaw and knocking him off balance.

Despite honing her craft for years, Levi was always the superior fighter. He always had something unconventional up his sleeve that had Aria on the floor and furiously trying to tap out. Levi tightened his headlock when she attempted to kick his shin and take his feet out from under him. Sighing in defeat, Aria put her hands up and loosened all appendages.

"One day…" Aria muttered as she dusted herself off the grimy floor. She was going to be picking pebbles out of her hair for days.

"Feel better?" Levi lifted an eyebrow.

Aria blinked. Actually, yes, she did. It dawned on her that instead of asking if she was okay like any other normal person would, Levi went after her with the intent of giving her a good walloping like the barbarian he was. Either he would beat the mood out of her or she would replace it with anger when sparring. Aria laughed to herself.

"You never stop surprising me," Aria noted the faintest curl of the corner of his lip at this.

"That's what Farlan first said when I decided to take Isabel in."

She did a double take. Levi didn't openly discuss his past life, much less his two close friends. For him to mention this detail so matter-of-factly caught Aria off guard.

"She ended up with us because she was at the right place, at the right time. She was supposed to be temporary. In the beginning, I didn't trust her at all."

"Shocking," Aria muttered.

Levi threw her a look before continuing. "She was horrible at the 3D maneuver gear, too confident in her obvious lack of skill, and as bright as a piece of shit."

Aria snorted. Him and his shitty jokes–literally. She knew better than to buy his nonchalant attitude. He spoke almost fondly of the younger redhead. "How did you come to be more accepting of her?" She asked.

"Time"—he paused—" and a lot of patience." Levi glanced at her knowingly from the side.

"Hey, if you're referring to Gelgar, then yes, I agree." Aria rolled her eyes.

"I never had what many would say is a family in a traditional sense, nor do I care." Levi ignored her. "There's no use in wanting something you've never or will have. Be sure about who you choose to care for, but don't go 'living every day as if it is your last'. None of that bullshit."

If anything, Aria was more glad than impressed that he was opening up. Knowing how it felt to want to run away from your past, it was also important to come to terms with it—something she was currently having trouble with. She needed a logical voice of reason to provide her a much-needed push to look at things from a different perspective. For that, she was grateful to Levi.

"You really are chatty today aren't you, heicho?" Aria grinned.

His hand found itself back in her hair, digging her face into the ground and making her eat dirt for dinner. He always had to have the last "word".

Aria resorted to mumbling and grumbling the whole way towards the canteen. Finding just the person she needed, Aria sat down next to Rico. Most of the dinner service entailed Aria chewing her food slowly while staring off into space and scrunching her nose in disgust at a seemingly nasty passing thought every so often. Sensing something amiss, Rico sent a questioning glare aimed at the corporal, which he matched perfectly in attitude. Rico clearly still thought Levi was tormenting Aria. Thankfully, Levi didn't give a shit about salvaging the woman's perspective of him and waited for Aria to come forward and fill the questioning silver-haired captain in.

"She's here." Aria popped. It's not like she really stood a chance successfully ignoring the elephant in the room. "For whatever reason, she left home, joined the military, and is now looking to join the Survey Corps."

Rico understood who Aria was referring to right away and couldn't help but glance around the canteen for any face that resembled her friend's.

"She's blonde, like the _other_ mother." Aria nodded over to the general direction of where Nadia was seated, frown deepening. She felt conflicted and hated even imagining trying to reconcile with the young blonde. It rekindled the stress and resentment she felt towards the ghosts of her past. "She wants to talk, but I don't fucking want to. I didn't for the past twelve years and don't fucking plan to any time soon. I have nothing I want to fucking say to her and have abso-fucking-lutely no clue as to what she could possibly want. Fucking frickty fuc—"

Her silver-haired friend gripped her arm gently, stopping her from going down the rabbit hole. "If you decided she isn't worth your time of day and you're okay with not hearing her out, then don't," Rico assured her calmly. "That's on you, but as long as you're okay with it. You don't need to explain yourself."

Aria decided to stick with her gut and felt beyond okay with it. She just hoped she wouldn't regret anything. Aria knew Nadia was not to blame for anything that transpired in the past between her father and herself. Nadia was too young to even be walking, much less talking. Still, the arrival of Selena and consequently, Nadia, was the final nail in the coffin that ended Josen and Aria's relationship. Seeing that Nadia played such a trivial role in that process, Aria felt the younger girl had little to no right barging into her life now and picking up where they last left off when, in fact, there was no last time.

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So...my ass went to an unplanned backpacking trip abroad and just got back recently. Wifi was too inconsistent to post and writing ground to a halt. I'M STILL ALIVE THOUGH. My thoughts are always on you lovely readers and especially you amazing reviewers (mwah!). Thank you so much for your support.

mistalenny : I don't know how you did it because even I'm too embarrassed to go back and reread it. Sometimes the dialogue gets confusing, the grammar is off, the flow is jumbled, it can get dense, etc. IT'S ON MY LIST TO GO THROUGH AND FIX EVERYTHING. I would LIKE to think I've become a better writer...LOL whelp who knows. But thank you for putting up with it and it's great to hear that you're enjoying it!

: Just for you, I threw in some numbers in this chapter and am thinking about writing a chapter involving some celebration (possibly birthday?) to let our characters let loose before entering the Eren arc (cause we know shit starts hitting the fan in tsunami-magnitude levels). Anyways, it goes like: Aria left the house when she was 13, she got into bootcamp at 16, joined the legion at 18, is in her 7th year of service making her 25 as of this chapter. I like to pretend everyone is a little on the younger scale. I HOPE THAT IS OKAY WITH YOU (if not...remember, Aria looks/is how you want her to be! 3)

AuroraStargazers: Thank you! 3 3 Stay tuned!

Ms. Sleepy Clover: AHAHA. Nooooo. I meant to insinuate that Eli and this "lady friend" were lovers at first, making the appearance of Nadia completely throw Aria off her feet. Nadia was the LAST person Aria expected to walk through that door and quite frankly, Aria wished it was Eli's lover. Oh yeah. I started writing this fic with the exact deaths planned out for when that time comes. **ALTHOUGH...I AM GUILTY OF CONTEMPLATING KEEPING NANABA ALIVE (although this is a matter of affecting Aria's character too. Keeping him alive might not be the same). Let me know your thoughts (ALL READERS)! I mean that's what fanfics are for right?** Finally, Miss Clover, there's nothing wrong with feminists besides the stigma that others put upon it! Love both sexes equally!3 3 I guess Mikasa can be considered a Mary Sue too? She one-ups everyone, never needs saving, and does a lot of eren-saving! Only difference is she's a woman. Mary sue is a Mary sue XD

draco: woohoo! Thanks for the support and stay tuned!

Justanothersoul: Stop it, you...I'm blushing *3*. On a serious note, thank you! Your words put a big smile on my face! I'm thinking I should start incorporating Levi's POV in more often. Thanks for the positive feedback!

Mizuki Shiki: YES! Let the empathy and angst flow in you! I think nothing is black and white and I can see it from both sides since neither are in the wrong! To me, that's what's interesting. Don't worry, Aria isn't going to stay too understanding and nice forever (although I plan to use some time before she becomes more...unforgiving. HEhEHohO). You're new but I love you and your review already 3 3 'Til next time!


	21. Daddy Issues

**Disclaimer: I don't own AOT (only Aria and Klaud)!**

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The crunching of pebbles grinding into the dirt below her boots and the smell of clean hay filtered through her nose. The legion's headquarters sat proudly on the full expanse that once was a hill. It wasn't much, but it was enough. It was far enough from the main cities to maintain its own peace away from capital filth and corruption. Out here, their control on Erwin and the legion was limited. Her lips quirked up as she trudged back, after making her morning rounds, to the place she called home for the past four years.

The past few days have been quite eventful. More importantly, she barely caught glimpses of the blonde she was adamantly avoiding. Aria planned on keeping it that way even with graduation creeping up in a couple of months. If Rhesus was right and she really did graduate on top of her class, Aria doubted she would follow through with her words. Aria didn't know her very well but Nadia seemed to be all bark and no bite—at least that's what Aria kept telling herself to make her feel better.

She stepped into the main corridor, several cadets delivering papers hurriedly greeted her as she passed them, but other than that, it was fairly empty. For once, she found herself wanting to hear more of the normal hustle bustle. It would help grind her nerves down and keep her thoughts from wandering too far. She had yet to tell Klaud about meeting Nadia and figure the sooner she got it off her chest, the better. Aria knocked on the commander's door wondering what Erwin wanted so early in the day.

"Come in." The low timbre of his voice floated from within his office.

Aria looked around, confused upon stepping into the room. The one thing that automatically struck her as odd was the presence of three blondes occupying a corner of the office. Having blonde-people trauma over the last few days, Aria immediately tensed up. It dissipated when she realized how familiar they looked. The look of recognition mirrored their own faces.

One of the twins happily hopped off their mom's lap, trying to come over but was stopped by a tall man. The brunette glared at Aria. Not knowing who he was or what she did to warrant that reaction, she opted for politely waving at the girls and smiling reassuringly at Nanaba's family.

A quick glance around the room found her captain and half the squad already present. Usually, the last one to wake, Aria was surprised that they were still waiting on Nanaba—especially since his family was here. Aria saluted Erwin and Mike before taking her position beside Lynne, who didn't look any more aware of the situation at hand than Aria did. She looked up once more at the tall brunette, noticing how Nanaba's mother and younger sisters sat rigidly under his stern gaze.

 _So this was Nanaba's father,_ Aria thought, unsurprised. She never met the man during her visits to Nanaba's home but heard enough about the man from Nanaba himself to know he wasn't a good person, much less a good father. Like Nanaba, his family had strikingly pale skin, making his twin sisters look like porcelain dolls. Unfortunately, it also made the bruises staining the mother still prominent against her collarbone. As much as the woman tried to hide it with a high collar and long-sleeves, Aria saw it peek out when the woman reached down to collect her daughter. That solidified her distaste for the man. That pig…

The next couple minutes were spent in tense silence before the last of Squad Mike finally entered. Nanaba walked in, not once breaking his stride after seeing his family. It was as if he was expecting them.

"Alright," Nanaba's father gruffly started. "Now that he's here—why we need the rest of _them_ present is beyond me—can we get this over with?"

Erwin replied in the usual, diplomatic way he did when faced with difficult men. "This involves Nanaba's whole squad as much as it involves Captain Mike." He waited until the brunette finished grumbling under his breath before sliding a few pieces of paper down his desk. "For the resignation of Nanaba from the scouting legion, several things need to be addressed."

Aria's head shot up. Looking for some sort of validation in the ludicrous words just revealed by their commander, Aria was frustrated to find Nanaba staring straight ahead, avoiding all eye contact. It was hard to contain her disbelief when she was forced to take a saluting position whilst the meeting continued.

"As an experienced veteran and valuable scout, Nanaba has been involved in many confidential meetings and experiments," Erwin stated. "He is not allowed to speak of such information to anyone, including you—his family—and to any soldier from any other military branch, under any circumstances."

Due to his straightforward personality, it was not often that Aria witnessed her commander outrightly complimenting, or should she daresay bragging, about his men. But here Erwin was praising Nanaba in his own way and in front of Nanaba's family.

"Bah, you damned scouts. Always hiding things as if you actually have anything important to disclose to the public," Nanaba's father sniffed. "You don't gotta worry about any of that. Okay, Mr. Commander?" He questioned mockingly.

Aria had to wonder how amazingly handsome or charming that man had to have been when he was younger to have tied the knot with someone as sweet as Nanaba's mother. Nanaba's father was by no means ugly or uneducated. In fact, he had a nobleman's air to him, as seen in the way he gestured and talked. She knew he worked behind Sina as an advisor for some lord. With men like that, Aria wasn't surprised at the superiority complex he harbored for all life outside of Sina. Nanaba was the perfect embodiment of a good boy gone bad, and by bad, she meant _bad_. The legion had a reputation of something akin to dirty, money-sucking leeches to men like Nanaba's father.

"Nanaba and all familiar attachments are to stop receiving benefits associated with the military including protection and authorized relocation if the need ever came to be," Erwin continued nonplussed at the man's outburst.

As Erwin continued to drone on, Aria's mind was trying to play catch-up with the recent turn of events. Were these decisions made with the consent of Nanaba himself or his father alone? Why hadn't Nanaba mentioned anything to he, or judging from the rest of the squad's faces, any of them earlier? Suddenly, Aria felt so incredibly disappointed in her friend. Was their relationship so shallow, that in his eyes he couldn't come to them and talk about any of this?

"The terms I just stated are reiterated on the form and you will need to sign below to show me you understood all of what was said."

Erwin just spent the last fifteen minutes talking about something that was already written down on the paper. It was very un-Erwin like to draw a meeting out like this. It seemed even the commander was trying to allow Nanaba a few last minutes to think about whether or not he truly wanted to go through with this.

"There." Nanaba's father scribbled on the form. "Vladimir Evans. My name signed in black and white, right in front of you. Your turn boy." He pushed it towards Nanaba, who had yet to make a move.

This Vladimir guy and his derisive demeanor were getting on her already frayed nerves. Nanaba's father or not, the man could at least pretend to be sympathetic towards his only son and those being affected by the situation. Aria wanted so much for Nanaba to show some sort of hesitation but all she got was a blank face; the kind he reserved for strangers and acquaintances.

"Nanaba," Aria bit out.

His steps faltered.

She didn't ask him to explain anything. She could only reach out with that one simple, yet emotional plea conveyed how she felt about this; how undeserving they were of the manner in which he was about to walk away after fighting side by side with them for four years.

Aria knew the rest of her team, save Mike who was probably notified beforehand, felt the same frustration and betrayal as herself, but no one was acting on it. Screw the fact that they were in a professional meeting with the commander present. If anyone from Squad Mike was expected to act out, it was Aria, so she didn't see anything wrong with doing just that. When Nanaba bent down to pick up the pen, she lost it. Aria strode up to the desk and snatched the paper away, crumbling it in the process.

"You don't get to do this to us," she growled, thrusting the ruined sheets into Nanaba's chest. "Not like this."

"I don't know who you think you are, but this doesn't invol—" Vladimir started.

"I don't care," Aria interrupted without facing the man behind her. Her eyes were only on the blonde, still hoping she would see even a shred of guilt in Nanaba's eyes.

A hand landed on her shoulder and spun her around. Aria squared her shoulders and met Vladimir head on. The man conveyed his thoughts effectively through the vice grip he had on her, but Aria didn't feel threatened. This very much annoyed the brunette, who seemed to seldom receive "no" as an answer. He bristled in unbridled anger, tightening his hold.

"Hey!" Klaud protested from behind them. Before anything could escalate, Nanaba grabbed his father's wrist firmly and removed it.

"You're scaring mother and the girls," he calmly stated.

With the attention suddenly on them, Haren Evans tucked the twins' heads deeper into her side and attempted to offer an awkward smile, her eyes still kept downcast. Nanaba walked around Aria, smoothened out the form, and signed his name neatly under his father's.

"You—" Aria began, aggressively moving to grab Nanaba by his collar.

"Stand down, Richter," Erwin ordered.

She didn't budge from glaring at the blonde. How dare he. If he was scared of his father doing something out of anger to his mother or sisters or even herself, they both knew very well that no one in the room would have tolerated it. His hands were in no way bound unless he was in agreement to leave himself.

"Aria."

She perked up this time to her captain's solemn tone. Aria let go of the blonde, flexing her fists to let the blood flow back after clutching his shirt so tightly. Clicking her tongue in a very Levi-ish way, she stood back in line without another glance.

Scoffing back at the auburnette, Vladimir strolled back to Erwin. "I assume this document is still sufficient?"

Erwin nodded.

"Good." Vladimir turned tails to collect his family before beckoning his son like a dog. "Come. We're done here."

What was even worse, Nanaba complied without any opposition. It was as if her friend was a whole other person. Aria felt not pity, but vengeful for her friend. This was the man who had a role in shaping Nanaba's life and somehow it came to them interacting like this.

"Also, Mr. Evans, because this was arranged in such short notice, Nanaba has to serve the rest of the week until his involvement with various projects is finished. We cannot allow his departure to impede on our work. " Erwin made a show of filing the form in his drawer. "He is free to leave after the loose ends are taken care of."

"With all due respect, Commander," Vladimir drawled. "You should've informed me of this before he signed the papers—which thankfully, a whole room was here to witness. He isn't bound to you scouts anymore and should be free to walk away right now."

"In that case," Erwin began, "That is fine, as long as you are okay with receiving half of the pension seeing that it will be recorded as an early discharge."

They did not operate under contracts, but soldiers were generally not allowed to up and out whenever they felt like it. That was one of the reasons why Klaud and Aria's plan to use the military as means of surviving on their own didn't work—not that they tried. There were rules put in place to prevent the poor and homeless from taking advantage of the money and energy the military put into investing in cadets. The duration of one's service is an agreement handled by one's commanding officers.

Vladimir bitterly stared at the commander before conceding. "He has until the end of the week. Not a day longer and no more of your bullshit tricks." With that, he stormed back to the door with his wife and kids in tow.

So this was about money? Aria resisted the urge to mouth off again.

As Haren was exiting, she stopped to look at Aria. "Thank you," she said quietly and bowed. When she didn't hear a response back, the woman merely smiled before saying, "Thank you for trying, dear."

Aria did not want to stay any longer than she needed to. She barely saluted Erwin and Mike before she was out the door and heading towards the training grounds. Thank Sina no one tried to stop her, especially not Nanaba. Aria didn't even want to try and get something down for breakfast. It was early in the day and most scouts would likely still be in the canteen. The training grounds would be empty and it just so happened that Aria really, _really_ wanted to cut something.

It took her several tries to get herself properly strapped up as her hands were clumsy. She wasted no time taking to the sky, weaving between trees. She didn't want her emotions getting the best of her and cause her to make stupid decisions like wasting precious gas. The longer she could make it last, the longer she could stay here cutting things. Aria leaned back, using her momentum to pivot and soar upward, high into the canopy. Here, she could get lost in her thoughts—all while cutting things up. That was the important part.

There were no soldiers to help bring the titans out into the open, so Aria settled for hunting them down herself. They were never in the same places since every night, a crew is in charge of switching things up. Aria grunted, zeroing in on a fifteen meter cut out and swinging down fast onto its nape, leaving a deep cut. She adjusted the handles on her blade and was off again. Cutting left and right, cotton flying down below due to the intensity of her blows. Aria was running out of titans but she wasn't close to being satiated.

Aria wasn't the most athletic person and had soon worked up quite some sweat. She decided to make a quick stop at the water fountain and quench her thirst so that she could avoid the crowd that would be coming out to the grounds shortly.

"Is there a reason why you're causing a setback in today's schedule by ruining all the training tools set up for the cadets?" A smooth drawl made her perk up, water still dripping from her hair and face.

Of course, he managed to sneak up on her. Old habits die hard and she never quite got used to his ungodly stealth, getting startled every time. She wasn't in the mood to laugh it off this time.

"Heicho, I need you to beat me up. Count it as my punishment."

Picking up on her change of attitude, he simply raised an eyebrow before warning her to get ready. Leave it to Levi to not question a request as bizarre as that. They exchanged blows, or more like Aria got her ass handed to her, for the next two hours. He was relentless in his advances, knocking Aria to the ground more times than she could count and giving her no time to catch her breath in between the whoopings. She was going to be picking gravel out of her chin for the next week or so.

Halfway through, she began to feel numb to his hits and the kickback of her own punches became less jarring. Her muscles seized and experienced little spasms as they continued. She wanted her mind as worn out as her body. Aria relished in the rivulets of fire that seemed to course through her veins. Out of breath, Aria lay on the floor with her ass planted firmly down this time, having run out of energy. She shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun, beating down on the both of them.

"What was that about?" Surprisingly, Levi plopped right down next to her on the dirty floor.

The fact that she gave Humanity's Strongest the run around until he himself was feeling somewhat tired kicked her ego up a notch.

"I needed to not think, just for a moment." Her heart was still beating a mile a minute. Aria was thoroughly spent, but she wouldn't have it any other way. It was easier to focus on the fatigue than the thoughts flying around her head.

"You were pretty shitty back there," he pointed out. "More spots open than usual."

"Yeah, well, I had a pretty shitty morning." It was actually hard to think about not thinking. It became too meta and Aria wished she could just sink into the ground. With the sun reaching its peak for the day, melting into a puddle didn't seem that far fetched.

Aria sat up and glanced at the corporal. "Was it really okay to shun your duties and spend the morning beating me up?" she asked.

"It's my duty to punish misbehaving cadets."

Aria let out a tired laugh. "Thanks, Levi."

It was aimed towards him being willing to follow through with her request without much questioning, but more for his lack of probing over her obviously stressed state of mind.

"You still have to replace the titans and clean up the mess you created," said the corporal, waving her gratitude away. "And if you want something to do while working on not thinking, you can clean the maneuver gears after you're done."

"Yes, sir," she sighed. Good ol' Levi Ackerman. He went easy on her today. Any other day, she was sure he wouldn't have played along to her moody antics and just sent her back to work right away.

Aria occupied most of her day with meaningless chores; from cleaning staff rooms to helping Hange assort her botanical collection. With both parties not actively seeking each other out, Aria didn't come by any of her squadmates until dinner rolled along. Having toiled in her thoughts long enough, she was actually looking forward to meeting up with them and addressing the elephant in the room. That blonde-haired, blue-eyed, annoyingly tall elephant that was pissing her off with his silen—

"If you look at your soup any longer, it might just dance into your mouth."

Aria sent Gelgar a look and started to properly eat her meal. She found herself feeling hungry now that she realized she hadn't eaten anything the whole day.

"So…" Gelgar continued. "Today has been a real doozy."

"If you have nothing better to say, shut the fuck up." Aria pointed her bread menacingly at the man.

"And I love you too, sweetheart." Gelgar got up to leave the table. "I'm going to grab myself some water and pretend it's moonshine. Anyone want?"

Klaud waved him away and turned back to face Aria. "You know...we're all feeling a hundred things at once about this too," he offered as a peace treaty.

"Eloquently stated," Lynne muttered sarcastically.

"See?" Klaud laughed, desperately trying to tame the tension. "Even Lynne's cracking jokes. The world must be ending." Klaud was starting to sound all sorts of crazy in their desperate quest for answers.

"More like Nanaba is leaving." Lynne put down her spoon, sat back, and folded her arms while getting a good look of the whole squad. Klaud snapped his mouth shut. Comic relief only worked when Gelgar was doing it anyway. "Now that we've addressed it up front, let's talk about what we should do about it," Lynne finished, leaving the spotlight up for grabs.

"I mean, we gotta hear the man out." Gelgar scratched his head sheepishly. "But he's not even here with us right now."

"Captain, did Nanaba talk to you about this before…? I mean, why is this happening all of the sudden?" Thomas voiced what everyone had in mind, his tone riddled in confusion and hurt. Look at that. Nanaba even went and made sweet Thomas sad.

"Yes, he did," Mike calmly replied. "And I believe he can answer all your questions if he chooses to, seeing that he is behind you."

Suddenly, Aria's appetite went down the drain. Her food creating a heavy ball in her watched expectantly as Nanaba simply sat down and greeted the captain as if all was swell.

"I just finished packing the last of my things," he stated. "I should be done with the rest of the reports by tomorrow night but Commander Erwin still needs me with his work for the next three days."

"Is there anything else you want us to know?" Gelgar curtly asked.

The blonde paused, gathering his wits. Aria was sure it wasn't easy going up against Squad Mike while they were silently beaming down on you. Good, because they weren't going to take a half-assed explanation. Four years wasn't an easy number to obtain while being in the scouts. Aria thought their level of trust and loyalty, up until now, was unwavering.

"I wanted to start out by apologizing," Nanaba admitted, tired of how the day unfolded. It was good to know this affected him more ways than he showed. "My family needs me and I decided I would leave the corps after the situation around the fall of Wall Maria somewhat settled. I wanted to do this without telling you guys because, frankly, I knew how you would react." Nanaba subtly shifted his gaze towards Aria. Not seeing the reaction he expected from one receiving closure, he finished, " I didn't want you guys trying to stop me. It would have made things harder."

"It's not that we have a problem leaving because you need to take care of your family. Of course, we understand that and wouldn't dare try to stop you," Lynne sighed. "It's how you went about doing it. Not only were we informed last minute, but it wasn't even by you. I don't mean to chastise because you're a grown-ass adult, but did you stop to think about how hurt we would have felt? How hurt we _did_ feel this morning?"

"That doesn't matter because he said 'it would have made things harder'. Harder for us or for you?" Aria directed her question towards the blonde. Nanaba didn't seem to have an answer. When he averted his gaze, Aria picked up her tray and made to leave. "And that's that. I don't think 'sorry' cuts it for me. Until he wants to cook up a better excuse for his actions, I don't want to hear it. 'Night guys, captain."

"Sorry man, me neither." Gelgar stood up as well, clasping the blonde's shoulder on the way out but not making eye contact.

Klaud and Lynne finished their meals and left without a word immediately after. Usually, Squad Mike would loiter around after dinner and decompress after a long day. Only, it was only Thomas and Mike who stayed behind with the blonde and they sat in silence for the remainder of the night.

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1) I reread some of the previous chapters and boy is it a mess. I need to clean up and one thing I'm definitely going to fix is "Hanji" to "Hange". I remember reading it in the manga as Hanji years ago, but apparently, on the Wiki it's Hange? I haven't gone back to the manga in the while, but I did read that it is Hange but some transcribe it as Hanji in the manga because that's how it is pronounced. OKAY ANYWAYS, in their storyline, Mikasa is supposed to be the only Asian and "Hanji" written like that, looks too Japanese.

2) I intended for Aria to grow in maturity as the chapters roll along and I know she can seem a bit of a bitch in this chapter. Hopefully, it doesn't come off as childish? As much as she prefers to not let her emotions get the best of her, I think in this context, the element of surprise and its involvement with one of her best friends basically did the job. Let me know your thoughts?

3) I centered Nanaba's family dynamics around the flashbacks he was having of his father when he was about to get eaten by the titans.

Ms. Sleepy Clover: If you're a sadist, I am too. High five. We love a sick sister. That was my plan all along; to have Aria get real messed up from their deaths (I'm not giving spoilers on Klaud though. He's not canon ;) ) Still...I've gotten attached to Nanaba (I daresay more than Klaud?). I'll see! XD And haha, yes I remember when Levi sprained his ankle to save Mikasa. Why did I know you were going to use that example to prove me wrong. That and I guess when (SPOILER?) she falls into the titan's clutches when the scouts try and retrieve Eren/Ymir after Bert and Reiner were exposed.

quxxn-lou: I'm glad you noticed it! Sometimes I throw things like that in and hope some random fan of that reference can have a giggle or two. Anyways, welcome new reviewer and thank you for leaving a comment!

Celline The Sleeping Beauty: Oh, frick-frack. Is Aria considered too young? I figured it was a safe age (not too young, not too old), especially when reviewers tend to want to relate to the OC's their reading (yes, I did just assume your age). And you took the words right out of my lips. I CAN'T TELL WITH LEVI BEING A GOD DAMN WRINKLE-LESS ANIMATION. Sina knows we can't have our favorite characters aging ungracefully as the story progresses. XD

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Much love. Until next time! 3 3 3


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